Wouldn't it be great if job-hunting meant I just had to go out into the woods with a shotgun? Really, if that's all it took to snag one, I think I could do it. I mean, I hate guns, but if I really need medical insurance, I might suck it up and manage it for a while. I might not bag a really beautiful 10-prong photography job, but I'm sure I could get something. Instead, this piling through listings over and over again hurts my eyes and puts me to sleep. This daily tedium is a little much for me. I try to act on leads, but it only goes so far. I'm either under-qualified or over-qualified. It sucks to be stuck in the middle. When I find one of those jobs that I think I'd be perfect for, there always someone out there who's more perfect than me. So I won't bore you with a listing of every job I've applied for. But once in a while there's one I'm really excited about and I hope I get called for an interview. That job of the moment is Texas State University. It's in San Marcos, TX and they need a photographer. Really, I'm in Texas and I'm a photographer. How great is that? I'm sure they want more, but I not only do I have experience in photography, but I have a degree. I can do film or digital. I can do processing. And really, how often is it that there's a photographer out there who loves working in the darkroom? Many out there are thrilled with the advent of digital photography because it means they get out of the darkroom. Personally, I miss it. I enjoy the wonders of Photoshop as much as the next person. It's a fun program after all. But nothing is really like that experience in the darkroom when you're waiting for a print to develop and it finally darkens in the developer and you see it's the perfect image you were waiting for. Nothing beats poring over contact sheets with a loupe and a Sharpie. I miss all of that. It's silly, I know. Plus, I just got addicted to that stink of the chemicals and the perfect control of your image (unlike when you send it to a lab to be finished) in the enlarger. But, I digress...I just think that it would be nice to work for a university and be connected with education somehow. Maybe it would help me to get my masters degree like I've wanted to do. That would be great, too.
The problem is that I tend to get all excited about the possibilities and probably end up jinxing myself out of the job. I'm sure there are other qualified applicants out there. I'm not fooling myself into thinking my portfolio is so stupefyingly amazing that they can't wait to hire me, either. I wish that were so, but then again, maybe that would put me into the over-qualified category again. I don't know. Technically, they did say they wanted someone with 3 years experience, but I'm hoping my combination of experience and education will count for something. We'll see. Usually I hope for these things, but they don't come true. But I remember when there was the time I got hired for the photography job at Clear Channel and that was the job I really wanted at the time. (That job did come available recently, but they didn't hire me back--super-discouraging).
I do have a couple of book recommendations, though. I recently read Red River by Lalita Tademy. I may have mentioned this book earlier in my blog, but maybe not. It's really her family history, but it involves the famous massacre in Colfax, Louisiana that Louisiana history dubs as a race riot. Even other newspapers of the day called it a massacre. Either way, the story is riveting and continues on to tell the aftermath and what it was like for former slaves trying to make better lives for themselves. I'm sure I had other recommendations after that, but that's the book that sticks out in my memory. And recently, I read Jo Bannister's The Tinderbox that tells of the homeless communities in London, England. The story was interesting, about a man whose daughter went missing 6 years earlier and who now believes his daughter is living homeless in London. There is a commentary near the beginning about the shortfalls of community programs and aid there are for the homeless, but most of the story involves this man's dedication and love for his daughter, no matter what she has done in the interim. Of course, I'm still convinced that the lack of programs and funding to help the mentally ill probably contributes to the rate of homeless in the world, but that's beside the point. Obviously there is a lot to be done to help if enough people would just commit to making some very fundamental changes to policy. It should be simple to fix, but it's not and it will take a coordination of efforts. But it's possible. Anyway, read the book. It's a good story, full of danger and suspense.
Well, that's it for this post. Check back later for more job-hunt progress reports (I'm trying to stay optimistic) and hopefully some good news.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
NJ
Well, this is long overdue. I've been back a week already and I have yet to mention a thing about my trip. It was really fantastic. I had a great time and hated to leave. It was great seeing IP and the fam. I wish we lived closer to each other. My first day was exhausting, although I did sneak some Wheat Thins on the plane so that I wouldn't starve to death. Security in SA was a breeze. Really, I expected worse. The thing that took forever was that they had to hand-search my bag of 35mm film. I wish I had a digital camera, but maybe someday I'll have the money. I looked into selling off my old cameras to buy a new digital SLR, but I wouldn't have made enough money out of all of them to compensate for a new camera. Oh well. Anyway, the flights went about as smoothly as you can expect. The commuter jet from St. Louis wasn't as small as the last one I'd been on, although my carry-on bag still didn't fit in the overhead bin (but at least the plane had an overhead bin--I've been on one that didn't) but we didn't have to descend from the jetway and climb on the plane via the door, so it was markedly better. I arrived in Philadelphia and tried to navigate to where I thought IP would be waiting for me, but I got there and so no familiar faces and I started to get nervous. Did I take a wrong turn? Luckily, I'd been smart enough to program her number into my phone, so I called her and she just said she'd been stuck in traffic and she was about 10 minutes out. Whew!
So I went down to baggage claim because that was where the exit was and waited down there on a bench and read. It didn't seem nearly 10 minutes before IP called and said she was outside, so I went out and found her. She gave me a big hug, and I waved to the kids, who were smiling big as well. I was really relieved to have made it and to have been found. IP was really apologetic, but I assured her it was okay. I was surprised at how big the kids were now. Natalie had been 4 when I saw her at R's wedding, but she was now 9 years old. And the little baby Ryan is now 6 because he just had a birthday! Wow. Before we did anything, we just wanted to get back into NJ, so we left Philadelphia and crossed the river. Then we thought we'd try to find something to eat that wouldn't be too unhealthy for me. First we tried Applebee's and followed the exit signs off the highway before IP remembered that it had burned down recently. So we tried to find something else and IP saw a sign for this place called Panera Bread, which is a chain, but we don't have one here in SA. But it was all soups and sandwiches, so I chose a bowl of French onion soup and an apple for a side. Poor IP had to run out and make a phone call, though, because she said her mom's friend passed away about 20 minutes earlier and she needed to talk to the medical examiner. This ended up taking forever as arrangements hadn't been made. I felt sorry for IP dealing with this, and it ended up taking up the next day with phone calls, too.
But that evening we were just talking and talking and it ended up being after midnight when we went to bed! Luckily that week she was on vacation. The next day we went to Grounds for Sculpture. It's really hard to describe. But it's this large park area where there are lots of outdoor sculpture that the kids could touch. Plus, there were indoor galleries there, too, which were housing glass exhibits at the time we were there. And the grounds were landscaped and there were hidden alcoves with sculptures and places to explore, so the kids loved it. There were other sculptures that were 3-D renditions of famous paintings like Manet's Dejeuner sur l'Herbe. There was a pretty water garden there, too, which was near the beginning.
That took a good portion of the day there, but it was fun and it was pleasant weather and not too hot.
The next day we had to go to Philadelphia to help IP's mom fill out some paperwork for the funeral home to do the cremation. IP's mom speaks English fine, but she's always afraid she's not understanding something right. So, we decided we'd go over there and help her out in the morning, then do something else while we were there. So the morning was spent at IP's mom's store, where we ended up helping a few customers in addition to the paperwork as Mom ran to fax the paperwork when it was finished. Then, we went to the U Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The garage was expensive, so we parked by meter and paid for 2 hours. The museum was really cool with a lot of Egyptian artifacts, but we realized it was going to take longer than 2 hours. So, we got something to eat and IP ran out to pay the meter. She could only pay for another hour as it was only 3 hour parking, though. So we had to skip a lot of stuff, including the Polynesian exhibit and some cool artifacts from Ur, which is one of the oldest cities. We ran briefly through China and Japan, then ran upstairs to where the mummies were, which is what the kids wanted to see. Overall, it was a nice museum. I just wish we could have seen everything. Then, IP drove me by the Rocky steps at the Museum of Fine Art (again, something else I would have loved to see, but it was getting toward rush hour and it was $7 to park, plus whatever the museum admission would have been--and the museum was HUGE--I doubt we could have seen much of it). I took some pictures of the steps for Dad, though, as I'm sure he'd wish he'd seen them, although I couldn't get any shots of the statue as it was hidden behind parked cars and pedestrians.
The next day was Ryan's belated birthday party. He didn't get to have his party on his actual birthday because he and Natalie were in Illinois visiting family. So he had his party that day and a few of his friends made it for a wading pool and sprinkler sort of water party. Plus there was pizza, a pinata, and cake and ice cream. So the kids loved it. One of the favors IP had picked were these temporary tattoos, so the kids put those on as soon as they got them. IP and I ran out later and got groceries at one point, and we stayed up talking a little more. I thought the kids would pass out, but they were excited because the next day we planned to go to New York. Natalie kept telling me about the cool Toy's 'R Us that's there and she hoped we'd see it. It was actually hard to get the kids to sleep at night. They were sharing a room so that I could have Natalie's room. Apparently, the only way they could do this was by putting a camp cot in Ryan's room for one of them to sleep on as Ryan only had a twin bed. I felt horrible that Natalie was supposed to sleep in the cot the whole week and a half that I'd be there, but the kids would actually fight over who "gets to sleep in the cot". So, I felt bad for nothing.
The next day, I was as jazzed as could be. We had to stop first at IP's hubby Travis' work. Poor guy had been fighting with this one air conditioner all week as it kept shutting down. As he's a manager it was sort-of his responsibility to take care of it. So we went over there on a Sunday and checked it, and it wasn't working. But there was a ping pong table in one corner of the warehouse, along with a badminton net. So IP and I played badminton a while and the kids played ping pong. Then we switched around until everyone got to play everything. We were thoroughly exhausted by the time Travis said it was time to go. I was hoping we weren't too tired to walk around Manhattan. But a cool sip of water was all we needed to perk up and the drive over wasn't too bad. We drove to Staten Island first. Then, we took the passenger ferry across to Manhattan. It was a great view, actually, and I took a few photos.
It's not actually 1998, of course. It's the stupid camera malfunctioning. I'd actually SET it to NO DATE.
We took the shuttle bus to the train station, passing by the WTC site. It's mostly blocked off, but you could see through rips in the plastic sheeting of the construction being done there. It's just sad that they have to do anything like that at all, though. All the buildings are so close together there, too. I mean, it must have been awful that day.
Anyway, Travis was the only one who could figure out the subway maps, so he took us to the right spot and told us to go up to 53rd street then turn right to get to MoMA. He was taking the kids to Central Park. I think we were on 8th Ave, but I could be wrong. No we were on Broadway, I think because we met there later and walked to Times Square. Well, whatever. We walked up to 53rd Street, then turned right and kept going and going and going past block after block after block. We finally came to the end of 53rd Street and we were in a questionable neighborhood. IP called Travis and he said the equivalent of "Oops, I meant turn left", so we turned around and walked all the way back, stopping to get something to eat. IP got a sandwich and I got a chicken pita. To save time, we ate as we walked. The great thing about Manhattan is that there are trash cans every so often, so we could discard our litter before we got to the museum. And the museum was this huge site with buildings across the street, too. But it had been blocked off from view because of this work being done next door and this huge wooden awning type thing to protect pedestrians. Anyway, we got in and we knew ahead of time that admission was $20 because we'd looked online. We also knew they closed at 4:30, so we wanted to be sure to see what we wanted to see. For me that was the paintings. The rest of it was stuff I don't really find all that interesting, like architecture and set design. So we went up and saw the painting and sculpture. There were some really famous paintings there, which I'd been hoping to see, including Van Gogh's Starry Night and some of Jackson Pollock's drip paintings. They had lots of Rothko, Stella, Judd, etc., too. But mostly, if you're a huge Picasso fan, that's the place to go. There are tons and tons of his paintings there. Really, I was never a huge Picasso fan. I can appreciate his work, but it doesn't really get to me the way other paintings can. But we saw what we came to see, then browsed the museum store. They had some cool things, but it was all expensive. I mean, I guess they're assuming only rich people go to museums or something, I don't know. I saw a cool keychain, but it was $12, whereas I wanted to spend about $7 or less. So I didn't buy it, but there was a sign saying there was more in the store across the street. We walked over there and looked around. It was stuff that was more expensive than we'd just seen, including some furniture and housewares. I'll admit, it was cool and all with unique styling and sometimes ingenious features. Really, if I could have afforded it, I'd have gone crazy in that store. But I finally splurged and bought the $12 keychain (one of the cheaper souvenirs). It's really cool, though, because it's designed in a ring and other smaller rings attach to it, but can easily be removed if you need to.
After that, we met up with the rest of the fam, and we walked to Times Square.
Along the way we saw MTV Studios and a group of fans waving to a band as they were leaving the studio. I have no idea who the band was, but we saw them through the window. IP took this shot with me and the kids:
It was tons of fun, and we saw the Toys 'R Us that Natalie was raving about. It was HUGE. 4 stories! There was this ferris wheel inside that people were riding and lots of demonstrations in-store, plus the displays were cool. There was a huge mechanical dinosaur by a section of Jurassic Park toys. There were other sections, including some imported stuff from Germany or Japan or whatever (Diddles and Hello Kitty). We were tired by then as it was almost dinner. Before we got to the store the kids had been complaining about how tired they were. Of course, they had boundless energy when they saw the toy store. We literally had to drag them screaming out of the store, which I'm sure is a common occurrence to the employees there. Of course, upon leaving the kids resumed their complaining. Then, we reached the subway and got on a train and suddenly the kids perk up, wanting to stand up in the car. Then, they see someone cross from our car and walk through to the next car. Now they want to do that, too. Of course, we adults could barely move. Luckily it wasn't long in between trains when we had to change, and we were coming out of the station and IP was hanging back with the kids, who resumed being tired. Now they want water. Travis and I were at the top of the stairs already, though. Travis said he saw a place and we were going to stop. IP said there was water right down there. But Travis insisted. So they came up and we crossed the street right to my favorite place, Starbucks. I got an iced nf sfv caramel macchiato and Natalie wanted one, too. She'd tasted one that IP had gotten me on the way to Philadelphia. So Travis got her one, too. Ryan got little E's favorite vanilla milk. IP and Travis got Ethos water. Natalie raved about her drink. I think Ryan was cheered when I told him the vanilla milk was my nephew's favorite drink, too. Now the kids are happy. We get on the shuttle bus and have plenty of room to sit down (as opposed to the adults having to stand when we first arrived--I guess that's what made the kids want to stand on the train because they thought it was cool). When we arrived by the ferry, I saw people selling cheap t-shirts 2 for $5. I wanted to get some. The first stand wasn't really anything. So we crossed the street and I got one that said I Love NY and another that was cool. Natalie and Ryan both got the I Love NY ones and wanted to wear them immediately. The ferry ride was really pleasant. We got to stand at the front of the boat again and got the most perfect view of the Statue of Liberty, but my camera malfunctions wouldn't allow me to take a picture. I wasn't too happy about that, of course. But the weather was great and the kids had a blast.
The next day, Travis had to go to work, but IP was still off, so she took us all to the beach. The weather was beautiful. It was 72F, the water was 70F, which seems cold but really wasn't. We meant to stay there a couple of hours. This was at Ocean City Beach Park or something like that. I can't remember the name. But it was a park, and the beach was beautiful, with waves almost as high as the ones in Hawai'i, but not quite. The water was beautiful. Natalie and I collected shells. Ryan was looking for crabs because he used to have some as pets. Then, IP saw what looked like a shallow place in the water and wanted to take the kids over. I rested with my sunglasses to take a break and hoped to not get a migraine from all the sunshine. But it was relaxing just to be there. IP came back after a while and said it was actually a sandbar out there and it was really pretty. So I went back with Natalie (the water was too deep for me to take Ryan as I'm not tall enough to carry him). It wasn't too steep of a drop, but then, as soon as you were down it was time to go back up. I guess it was low-tide because IP said she's been there lots of times and the sandbar was never there. But the sand was firm and the waves were lower there. On top of the sandbar it was only about ankle deep water. But it was nice and Natalie and I found a lot more shells. After that, IP and I took turns resting and going out to the sandbar. Before we knew it, we'd been there 4 1/2 hours! So we went to the bathhouse and showered and changed so we could get something to eat. On the way out of the park, we saw a sign advertising "Kids Eat Free", but the sign didn't say the name of the restaurant. So we went to the one that looked closest to the sign, only to see the menu by the door and the prices indicated that kids did not actually eat free. And everything was $20 and UP! I don't think I've ever paid that much for a meal in my life (of course, I'm poor--maybe that isn't that much to other people, but it is to me). I told IP to go somewhere else, but she said it was okay. I argued a little, but she insisted, so we went in. The restaurant was upstairs. Luckily when we got the menus there were some less expensive options, but all the healthy dishes were the expensive ones. I wasn't about to let IP pay that much for a meal for me, so I picked a fried fish sandwich, thinking it wouldn't be that much. It was. It was a big sandwich, with 4 fillets of fish. Of course, that doesn't excuse me because I still could have saved some of it, but I didn't. I was starving. I ate the whole thing. It used up every flex point I had that day and I never use all my flex points. Usually I use about half of them tops. Oh well. I was on vacation. So then we got back home and talked and relaxed. It was just a really beautiful day. We all ended up with sunburn, though, especially IP. Her back was beet red. We were all slathering ourselves in aloe that night.
The next few days, IP worked and I stayed and watched the kids. They didn't require a lot of supervision, just making sure they didn't fight too much or bother the dogs too much as Ryan has a tendency not to let them go when they're tired of him. He's been bitten before, but that doesn't stop him for some reason. Wednesday, IP and I went to pick up IP's delivery of vegetables from the organic farm. They deliver to one person's house as she went in threesies with two of her friends for a CSA membership. Then, they divide up the delivery between themselves. So IP went to her friend's house to get her share, which included some heirloom vegetables and an heirloom watermelon, which IP said wasn't enough for 3 people to share and she got one last week. So she let her friend keep it. Her friend let us taste it and it was super-juicy and delicious, though. IP was hoping there would be others so she'd get one to herself. Then, Thursday night was supposed to be the mother-daughter book club meeting, but when we got to the woman's house for the meeting, she had canceled it as her toddler had fallen in the bathroom and was bleeding from his privates. She wanted to rush him to the emergency room as she didn't know how bad it was and the bleeding wouldn't stop. Of course, IP said that was fine and she'd watch the kids for her as the woman had 3 other kids. The woman didn't want IP to do that and said her husband could take the little one, but IP said that wasn't good. She knew they'd both rather be there. So when the husband got home they both rushed out with him and took him to the ER (where there was supposed to be quick admittance for children's injuries). Her kids were no trouble at all to watch, although the baby cried for about 45 minutes instead of the promised 5 minutes at bedtime. The other two kids were older and went to bed exactly at their bedtimes with no fuss whatsoever. When the parents got home, it was thankfully not too late and they were relieved that there wasn't any serious injury and all he needed was bandages. He was happy because he had a hospital bracelet and thought of the whole thing as an adventure once he found out he was going to the hospital. That made him forget about everything else, actually.
The next day, IP only worked a half day, so we went to the organic farm to pick our own produce (you can go once a week to pick your own in addition to the delivery with a CSA membership). The kids loved it as they were snacking on raspberries and blackberries while we were picking. It took a fairly long time as it was near dinner time when we finished and IP wanted to take me to dinner to thank me for babysitting. When we got home, though, we'd found a thank you card and a couple of bottles of wine from the mother of the injured toddler. She said she appreciated us helping her out the night before. Really sweet of her, but of course IP can have all the wine. We had to put the berries in a container as they were mashing in the bag we were carrying them home in. Then we went out to Applebee's for dinner so I could stick to the WW plan. The kids liked it, and I got to thank IP and Travis for everything as they'd paid for all my food, transportation, museum admissions, etc. while I'd been there and I said it didn't feel like anything more than a vacation and I had a lot of fun. They said they'd enjoyed it, too, but they did appreciate me helping them out. Really, I didn't feel like I did them that big a favor, but it was sweet of them.
The next day, I flew home. The Philadelphia airport is confusing as hell. There's no clear signs saying where the terminals are. Really, it actually pointed to the right, when the entrance was on the left. Makes no sense at all. AND, not only did they need to hand search my film, but they needed to search my bag. So I waited in a little glass-enclosed room while they checked my film in this little machine. It took longer than hand-searching really, because the machine had to do whatever it needed to do for each roll of film when they could easily have just looked themselves and seen what was in there. Then she had to look in my bag, and she saw all my little bottles of pills and realized that was what had shown up in the x-ray. The x-ray couldn't tell if it was liquid or not, and I guess they thought I'd be smuggling tons of itty bitty bottles of liquids to San Antonio. It took forever and seemed to really be overkill. But anyway, the flight from Philly to Dallas was long, but nothing awful. The only thing was that I was hungry and I planned to get something in Dallas when we landed as the pilot said we'd arrive early. Not so. We arrived late. I had no layover at all. We landed as my other flight was supposed to be boarding. AND I had to run through 3 terminals to get to the one my flight was leaving from. There was a tram, but it was slow. Really, I expected to hear the last boarding call as I ran to the gate (if they held the flight for me), but they were late departing as the plane hadn't arrived yet. Okay, so there was a little relief. I looked around to see if there was something quick I could grab to eat, but there were nothing but stores and sit-down restaurants, which I doubted I had time for. Great. So I'm holding on to my suitcase for dear life as I'm so light-headed I feel like I'm going to pass out. That's what happens when you don't have time for breakfast and planes don't serve free food anymore. So I'm changing my mind about the paying for food and deciding I'm desperate to pay too much for a tiny bag of peanuts or whatever the plane is serving. By the time we board, I'm exhausted and can barely stand. Then, I find out there's no snack on this flight. I took another dose of dramamine and ordered a diet Sprite. But instead of giving me the can as the flight attendants had done on ALL the other flights I'd been on, she filled this little thimble-sized plastic cup and moved on. Great. The day I need some energy, I get the tiny cup only. So then, I'm waiting until San Antonio. I arrived and ran out of the plane as fast as I could. The San Antonio airport is small, so I didn't expect trouble finding Mom, but there was this huge party waiting for a soldier coming home from Iraq and I couldn't see anyone else. Of course, I wasn't thinking clearly and I missed her completely. Then, we go outside and it's sprinkling, but stuffy and hot and nothing like the beautiful weather in NJ. Still, I couldn't wait to get home. Mom promised Sonic, but I didn't want to be that bad. She reminded me I'd had nothing to eat, and I remembered that a chicken strip dinner is 17 points and I had 18 points to use. So yes, Mom go to Sonic. It was delicious, but I ate it way to fast and made myself sick. Still, I hadn't been bad like that in a long time. Plus, Bucky missed me tremendously and it felt so good to hug him after so long. He felt tiny after petting IP's dogs, though! But I missed his sweet little face. But if he'd been with me up there I wouldn't have wanted to come home. Maybe he and I will move to New York someday. Who knows? : )
So I went down to baggage claim because that was where the exit was and waited down there on a bench and read. It didn't seem nearly 10 minutes before IP called and said she was outside, so I went out and found her. She gave me a big hug, and I waved to the kids, who were smiling big as well. I was really relieved to have made it and to have been found. IP was really apologetic, but I assured her it was okay. I was surprised at how big the kids were now. Natalie had been 4 when I saw her at R's wedding, but she was now 9 years old. And the little baby Ryan is now 6 because he just had a birthday! Wow. Before we did anything, we just wanted to get back into NJ, so we left Philadelphia and crossed the river. Then we thought we'd try to find something to eat that wouldn't be too unhealthy for me. First we tried Applebee's and followed the exit signs off the highway before IP remembered that it had burned down recently. So we tried to find something else and IP saw a sign for this place called Panera Bread, which is a chain, but we don't have one here in SA. But it was all soups and sandwiches, so I chose a bowl of French onion soup and an apple for a side. Poor IP had to run out and make a phone call, though, because she said her mom's friend passed away about 20 minutes earlier and she needed to talk to the medical examiner. This ended up taking forever as arrangements hadn't been made. I felt sorry for IP dealing with this, and it ended up taking up the next day with phone calls, too.
But that evening we were just talking and talking and it ended up being after midnight when we went to bed! Luckily that week she was on vacation. The next day we went to Grounds for Sculpture. It's really hard to describe. But it's this large park area where there are lots of outdoor sculpture that the kids could touch. Plus, there were indoor galleries there, too, which were housing glass exhibits at the time we were there. And the grounds were landscaped and there were hidden alcoves with sculptures and places to explore, so the kids loved it. There were other sculptures that were 3-D renditions of famous paintings like Manet's Dejeuner sur l'Herbe. There was a pretty water garden there, too, which was near the beginning.
That took a good portion of the day there, but it was fun and it was pleasant weather and not too hot.The next day we had to go to Philadelphia to help IP's mom fill out some paperwork for the funeral home to do the cremation. IP's mom speaks English fine, but she's always afraid she's not understanding something right. So, we decided we'd go over there and help her out in the morning, then do something else while we were there. So the morning was spent at IP's mom's store, where we ended up helping a few customers in addition to the paperwork as Mom ran to fax the paperwork when it was finished. Then, we went to the U Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The garage was expensive, so we parked by meter and paid for 2 hours. The museum was really cool with a lot of Egyptian artifacts, but we realized it was going to take longer than 2 hours. So, we got something to eat and IP ran out to pay the meter. She could only pay for another hour as it was only 3 hour parking, though. So we had to skip a lot of stuff, including the Polynesian exhibit and some cool artifacts from Ur, which is one of the oldest cities. We ran briefly through China and Japan, then ran upstairs to where the mummies were, which is what the kids wanted to see. Overall, it was a nice museum. I just wish we could have seen everything. Then, IP drove me by the Rocky steps at the Museum of Fine Art (again, something else I would have loved to see, but it was getting toward rush hour and it was $7 to park, plus whatever the museum admission would have been--and the museum was HUGE--I doubt we could have seen much of it). I took some pictures of the steps for Dad, though, as I'm sure he'd wish he'd seen them, although I couldn't get any shots of the statue as it was hidden behind parked cars and pedestrians.
The next day was Ryan's belated birthday party. He didn't get to have his party on his actual birthday because he and Natalie were in Illinois visiting family. So he had his party that day and a few of his friends made it for a wading pool and sprinkler sort of water party. Plus there was pizza, a pinata, and cake and ice cream. So the kids loved it. One of the favors IP had picked were these temporary tattoos, so the kids put those on as soon as they got them. IP and I ran out later and got groceries at one point, and we stayed up talking a little more. I thought the kids would pass out, but they were excited because the next day we planned to go to New York. Natalie kept telling me about the cool Toy's 'R Us that's there and she hoped we'd see it. It was actually hard to get the kids to sleep at night. They were sharing a room so that I could have Natalie's room. Apparently, the only way they could do this was by putting a camp cot in Ryan's room for one of them to sleep on as Ryan only had a twin bed. I felt horrible that Natalie was supposed to sleep in the cot the whole week and a half that I'd be there, but the kids would actually fight over who "gets to sleep in the cot". So, I felt bad for nothing.
The next day, I was as jazzed as could be. We had to stop first at IP's hubby Travis' work. Poor guy had been fighting with this one air conditioner all week as it kept shutting down. As he's a manager it was sort-of his responsibility to take care of it. So we went over there on a Sunday and checked it, and it wasn't working. But there was a ping pong table in one corner of the warehouse, along with a badminton net. So IP and I played badminton a while and the kids played ping pong. Then we switched around until everyone got to play everything. We were thoroughly exhausted by the time Travis said it was time to go. I was hoping we weren't too tired to walk around Manhattan. But a cool sip of water was all we needed to perk up and the drive over wasn't too bad. We drove to Staten Island first. Then, we took the passenger ferry across to Manhattan. It was a great view, actually, and I took a few photos.
It's not actually 1998, of course. It's the stupid camera malfunctioning. I'd actually SET it to NO DATE.
We took the shuttle bus to the train station, passing by the WTC site. It's mostly blocked off, but you could see through rips in the plastic sheeting of the construction being done there. It's just sad that they have to do anything like that at all, though. All the buildings are so close together there, too. I mean, it must have been awful that day.
Anyway, Travis was the only one who could figure out the subway maps, so he took us to the right spot and told us to go up to 53rd street then turn right to get to MoMA. He was taking the kids to Central Park. I think we were on 8th Ave, but I could be wrong. No we were on Broadway, I think because we met there later and walked to Times Square. Well, whatever. We walked up to 53rd Street, then turned right and kept going and going and going past block after block after block. We finally came to the end of 53rd Street and we were in a questionable neighborhood. IP called Travis and he said the equivalent of "Oops, I meant turn left", so we turned around and walked all the way back, stopping to get something to eat. IP got a sandwich and I got a chicken pita. To save time, we ate as we walked. The great thing about Manhattan is that there are trash cans every so often, so we could discard our litter before we got to the museum. And the museum was this huge site with buildings across the street, too. But it had been blocked off from view because of this work being done next door and this huge wooden awning type thing to protect pedestrians. Anyway, we got in and we knew ahead of time that admission was $20 because we'd looked online. We also knew they closed at 4:30, so we wanted to be sure to see what we wanted to see. For me that was the paintings. The rest of it was stuff I don't really find all that interesting, like architecture and set design. So we went up and saw the painting and sculpture. There were some really famous paintings there, which I'd been hoping to see, including Van Gogh's Starry Night and some of Jackson Pollock's drip paintings. They had lots of Rothko, Stella, Judd, etc., too. But mostly, if you're a huge Picasso fan, that's the place to go. There are tons and tons of his paintings there. Really, I was never a huge Picasso fan. I can appreciate his work, but it doesn't really get to me the way other paintings can. But we saw what we came to see, then browsed the museum store. They had some cool things, but it was all expensive. I mean, I guess they're assuming only rich people go to museums or something, I don't know. I saw a cool keychain, but it was $12, whereas I wanted to spend about $7 or less. So I didn't buy it, but there was a sign saying there was more in the store across the street. We walked over there and looked around. It was stuff that was more expensive than we'd just seen, including some furniture and housewares. I'll admit, it was cool and all with unique styling and sometimes ingenious features. Really, if I could have afforded it, I'd have gone crazy in that store. But I finally splurged and bought the $12 keychain (one of the cheaper souvenirs). It's really cool, though, because it's designed in a ring and other smaller rings attach to it, but can easily be removed if you need to.
After that, we met up with the rest of the fam, and we walked to Times Square.
Along the way we saw MTV Studios and a group of fans waving to a band as they were leaving the studio. I have no idea who the band was, but we saw them through the window. IP took this shot with me and the kids:
It was tons of fun, and we saw the Toys 'R Us that Natalie was raving about. It was HUGE. 4 stories! There was this ferris wheel inside that people were riding and lots of demonstrations in-store, plus the displays were cool. There was a huge mechanical dinosaur by a section of Jurassic Park toys. There were other sections, including some imported stuff from Germany or Japan or whatever (Diddles and Hello Kitty). We were tired by then as it was almost dinner. Before we got to the store the kids had been complaining about how tired they were. Of course, they had boundless energy when they saw the toy store. We literally had to drag them screaming out of the store, which I'm sure is a common occurrence to the employees there. Of course, upon leaving the kids resumed their complaining. Then, we reached the subway and got on a train and suddenly the kids perk up, wanting to stand up in the car. Then, they see someone cross from our car and walk through to the next car. Now they want to do that, too. Of course, we adults could barely move. Luckily it wasn't long in between trains when we had to change, and we were coming out of the station and IP was hanging back with the kids, who resumed being tired. Now they want water. Travis and I were at the top of the stairs already, though. Travis said he saw a place and we were going to stop. IP said there was water right down there. But Travis insisted. So they came up and we crossed the street right to my favorite place, Starbucks. I got an iced nf sfv caramel macchiato and Natalie wanted one, too. She'd tasted one that IP had gotten me on the way to Philadelphia. So Travis got her one, too. Ryan got little E's favorite vanilla milk. IP and Travis got Ethos water. Natalie raved about her drink. I think Ryan was cheered when I told him the vanilla milk was my nephew's favorite drink, too. Now the kids are happy. We get on the shuttle bus and have plenty of room to sit down (as opposed to the adults having to stand when we first arrived--I guess that's what made the kids want to stand on the train because they thought it was cool). When we arrived by the ferry, I saw people selling cheap t-shirts 2 for $5. I wanted to get some. The first stand wasn't really anything. So we crossed the street and I got one that said I Love NY and another that was cool. Natalie and Ryan both got the I Love NY ones and wanted to wear them immediately. The ferry ride was really pleasant. We got to stand at the front of the boat again and got the most perfect view of the Statue of Liberty, but my camera malfunctions wouldn't allow me to take a picture. I wasn't too happy about that, of course. But the weather was great and the kids had a blast.The next day, Travis had to go to work, but IP was still off, so she took us all to the beach. The weather was beautiful. It was 72F, the water was 70F, which seems cold but really wasn't. We meant to stay there a couple of hours. This was at Ocean City Beach Park or something like that. I can't remember the name. But it was a park, and the beach was beautiful, with waves almost as high as the ones in Hawai'i, but not quite. The water was beautiful. Natalie and I collected shells. Ryan was looking for crabs because he used to have some as pets. Then, IP saw what looked like a shallow place in the water and wanted to take the kids over. I rested with my sunglasses to take a break and hoped to not get a migraine from all the sunshine. But it was relaxing just to be there. IP came back after a while and said it was actually a sandbar out there and it was really pretty. So I went back with Natalie (the water was too deep for me to take Ryan as I'm not tall enough to carry him). It wasn't too steep of a drop, but then, as soon as you were down it was time to go back up. I guess it was low-tide because IP said she's been there lots of times and the sandbar was never there. But the sand was firm and the waves were lower there. On top of the sandbar it was only about ankle deep water. But it was nice and Natalie and I found a lot more shells. After that, IP and I took turns resting and going out to the sandbar. Before we knew it, we'd been there 4 1/2 hours! So we went to the bathhouse and showered and changed so we could get something to eat. On the way out of the park, we saw a sign advertising "Kids Eat Free", but the sign didn't say the name of the restaurant. So we went to the one that looked closest to the sign, only to see the menu by the door and the prices indicated that kids did not actually eat free. And everything was $20 and UP! I don't think I've ever paid that much for a meal in my life (of course, I'm poor--maybe that isn't that much to other people, but it is to me). I told IP to go somewhere else, but she said it was okay. I argued a little, but she insisted, so we went in. The restaurant was upstairs. Luckily when we got the menus there were some less expensive options, but all the healthy dishes were the expensive ones. I wasn't about to let IP pay that much for a meal for me, so I picked a fried fish sandwich, thinking it wouldn't be that much. It was. It was a big sandwich, with 4 fillets of fish. Of course, that doesn't excuse me because I still could have saved some of it, but I didn't. I was starving. I ate the whole thing. It used up every flex point I had that day and I never use all my flex points. Usually I use about half of them tops. Oh well. I was on vacation. So then we got back home and talked and relaxed. It was just a really beautiful day. We all ended up with sunburn, though, especially IP. Her back was beet red. We were all slathering ourselves in aloe that night.
The next few days, IP worked and I stayed and watched the kids. They didn't require a lot of supervision, just making sure they didn't fight too much or bother the dogs too much as Ryan has a tendency not to let them go when they're tired of him. He's been bitten before, but that doesn't stop him for some reason. Wednesday, IP and I went to pick up IP's delivery of vegetables from the organic farm. They deliver to one person's house as she went in threesies with two of her friends for a CSA membership. Then, they divide up the delivery between themselves. So IP went to her friend's house to get her share, which included some heirloom vegetables and an heirloom watermelon, which IP said wasn't enough for 3 people to share and she got one last week. So she let her friend keep it. Her friend let us taste it and it was super-juicy and delicious, though. IP was hoping there would be others so she'd get one to herself. Then, Thursday night was supposed to be the mother-daughter book club meeting, but when we got to the woman's house for the meeting, she had canceled it as her toddler had fallen in the bathroom and was bleeding from his privates. She wanted to rush him to the emergency room as she didn't know how bad it was and the bleeding wouldn't stop. Of course, IP said that was fine and she'd watch the kids for her as the woman had 3 other kids. The woman didn't want IP to do that and said her husband could take the little one, but IP said that wasn't good. She knew they'd both rather be there. So when the husband got home they both rushed out with him and took him to the ER (where there was supposed to be quick admittance for children's injuries). Her kids were no trouble at all to watch, although the baby cried for about 45 minutes instead of the promised 5 minutes at bedtime. The other two kids were older and went to bed exactly at their bedtimes with no fuss whatsoever. When the parents got home, it was thankfully not too late and they were relieved that there wasn't any serious injury and all he needed was bandages. He was happy because he had a hospital bracelet and thought of the whole thing as an adventure once he found out he was going to the hospital. That made him forget about everything else, actually.
The next day, IP only worked a half day, so we went to the organic farm to pick our own produce (you can go once a week to pick your own in addition to the delivery with a CSA membership). The kids loved it as they were snacking on raspberries and blackberries while we were picking. It took a fairly long time as it was near dinner time when we finished and IP wanted to take me to dinner to thank me for babysitting. When we got home, though, we'd found a thank you card and a couple of bottles of wine from the mother of the injured toddler. She said she appreciated us helping her out the night before. Really sweet of her, but of course IP can have all the wine. We had to put the berries in a container as they were mashing in the bag we were carrying them home in. Then we went out to Applebee's for dinner so I could stick to the WW plan. The kids liked it, and I got to thank IP and Travis for everything as they'd paid for all my food, transportation, museum admissions, etc. while I'd been there and I said it didn't feel like anything more than a vacation and I had a lot of fun. They said they'd enjoyed it, too, but they did appreciate me helping them out. Really, I didn't feel like I did them that big a favor, but it was sweet of them.
The next day, I flew home. The Philadelphia airport is confusing as hell. There's no clear signs saying where the terminals are. Really, it actually pointed to the right, when the entrance was on the left. Makes no sense at all. AND, not only did they need to hand search my film, but they needed to search my bag. So I waited in a little glass-enclosed room while they checked my film in this little machine. It took longer than hand-searching really, because the machine had to do whatever it needed to do for each roll of film when they could easily have just looked themselves and seen what was in there. Then she had to look in my bag, and she saw all my little bottles of pills and realized that was what had shown up in the x-ray. The x-ray couldn't tell if it was liquid or not, and I guess they thought I'd be smuggling tons of itty bitty bottles of liquids to San Antonio. It took forever and seemed to really be overkill. But anyway, the flight from Philly to Dallas was long, but nothing awful. The only thing was that I was hungry and I planned to get something in Dallas when we landed as the pilot said we'd arrive early. Not so. We arrived late. I had no layover at all. We landed as my other flight was supposed to be boarding. AND I had to run through 3 terminals to get to the one my flight was leaving from. There was a tram, but it was slow. Really, I expected to hear the last boarding call as I ran to the gate (if they held the flight for me), but they were late departing as the plane hadn't arrived yet. Okay, so there was a little relief. I looked around to see if there was something quick I could grab to eat, but there were nothing but stores and sit-down restaurants, which I doubted I had time for. Great. So I'm holding on to my suitcase for dear life as I'm so light-headed I feel like I'm going to pass out. That's what happens when you don't have time for breakfast and planes don't serve free food anymore. So I'm changing my mind about the paying for food and deciding I'm desperate to pay too much for a tiny bag of peanuts or whatever the plane is serving. By the time we board, I'm exhausted and can barely stand. Then, I find out there's no snack on this flight. I took another dose of dramamine and ordered a diet Sprite. But instead of giving me the can as the flight attendants had done on ALL the other flights I'd been on, she filled this little thimble-sized plastic cup and moved on. Great. The day I need some energy, I get the tiny cup only. So then, I'm waiting until San Antonio. I arrived and ran out of the plane as fast as I could. The San Antonio airport is small, so I didn't expect trouble finding Mom, but there was this huge party waiting for a soldier coming home from Iraq and I couldn't see anyone else. Of course, I wasn't thinking clearly and I missed her completely. Then, we go outside and it's sprinkling, but stuffy and hot and nothing like the beautiful weather in NJ. Still, I couldn't wait to get home. Mom promised Sonic, but I didn't want to be that bad. She reminded me I'd had nothing to eat, and I remembered that a chicken strip dinner is 17 points and I had 18 points to use. So yes, Mom go to Sonic. It was delicious, but I ate it way to fast and made myself sick. Still, I hadn't been bad like that in a long time. Plus, Bucky missed me tremendously and it felt so good to hug him after so long. He felt tiny after petting IP's dogs, though! But I missed his sweet little face. But if he'd been with me up there I wouldn't have wanted to come home. Maybe he and I will move to New York someday. Who knows? : )
Friday, August 17, 2007
Tropical Storm Erin and the ceiling hole
Normally, a tropical storm heading right for Texas doesn't scare me. Usually, we just have some rain and that's about it. But this one seemed to be moving unusually slowly and the eye passed right over Bexar county. Really, by the time it got to Bexar county, I didn't expect it to have an eye anymore, but there you go. And for anyone not in this area, it's pronounced like "Bayer", not the actual Bex-Ahr, like it's spelled. Like you didn't already think Texans are weird. Anyway, so I manage to make it to the pharmacy to drop off my prescriptions, but the way to the pharmacy isn't a route that floods. I had no idea how bad it was in the rest of the city until I turned on the news later. Apparently, there was heavy flooding all over town, including some normally dry creeks that overflowed and covered the roadways, washing away cars and SUVs. Many of the highways also flooded and had to be closed, making traffic an absolute nightmare. Causing accidents all over town, including some with fatalities and serious injuries. Causing high-water rescues to be so frequent that the emergency crews couldn't keep up. The winds were so high that some tornadoes were spawned north of here and west, too, I believe.
So, you'd think we're safe living on the 3rd floor and on a hill, right? Well, I'll admit there were no injuries. But Mom heard some water and thought it was her imagination until she heard a gush and some debris falling and...
Crash. This pic doesn't include the debris on the floor, of course, but it's a mess. Mom called the apartment office right away and they said they'd send someone, but no one came. You can tell how seriously they take us. You'd think that for $1000 a month we'd get some better service. AND they still haven't fixed the floodlights that are on our building. All of them are out and it's been a few weeks now. They even sent out a memo telling us how seriously they take the residents safety and security. It's DARK out there at night. I just hate to walk the dog out there, but what can I do? He's gotta go sometime. He can't hold it all night.
Anyway, if I have to I'll call them again. I don't want to be the "bitchy resident", but it isn't safe out there or in here either. Leaking water can be a health hazard, you know? It can lead to mold and even further damage, and if we get any more rain...I don't want to think about it.
So, you'd think we're safe living on the 3rd floor and on a hill, right? Well, I'll admit there were no injuries. But Mom heard some water and thought it was her imagination until she heard a gush and some debris falling and...
Crash. This pic doesn't include the debris on the floor, of course, but it's a mess. Mom called the apartment office right away and they said they'd send someone, but no one came. You can tell how seriously they take us. You'd think that for $1000 a month we'd get some better service. AND they still haven't fixed the floodlights that are on our building. All of them are out and it's been a few weeks now. They even sent out a memo telling us how seriously they take the residents safety and security. It's DARK out there at night. I just hate to walk the dog out there, but what can I do? He's gotta go sometime. He can't hold it all night.
Anyway, if I have to I'll call them again. I don't want to be the "bitchy resident", but it isn't safe out there or in here either. Leaking water can be a health hazard, you know? It can lead to mold and even further damage, and if we get any more rain...I don't want to think about it.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Our Wonderful Vet
Really, he must be the best vet in town. He has an encyclopedic memory. Every time I see him he remembers all kinds of stuff I told him from ages ago, and I know it's not in my file. It would be a book if it covered everything. Plus, he just instinctually knows stuff. I don't know how he does it, but often he doesn't need to do tests or anything because he knows what it is already. He's always right, too. So, I take Bucky in, and Bucky takes an immediate dislike to this Westie that's in the waiting room. I don't know what it was about the dog, but Bucky didn't like him. Other people came in later with other pets and he was fine with them. He just didn't like the Westie. Anyway, we get called in and Bucky is absolutely perfect. He doesn't growl or bite or even cry out when they give him his shots. Really, that's not what I expected after his last vet trip. He let them draw his blood for the heartworm test. He let the vet look at his teeth. He let them weigh him (4.14 pounds). He was just wonderfully well-behaved. I mentioned his teeth because I was concerned that I'd seen some brown stuff on them and I didn't want that to lead to any health problems. He hasn't been chewing on anything and he doesn't let me brush his teeth (really, he's as slippery as an eel---you try restraining him). So the vet thought immediately of this stuff that we can add to his water. It acts as a dental rinse, but it's safe for the dogs to drink. It cleans their teeth and will even help break down the stuff that's already there over time. GREAT! Perfect. Thank you! Although he did say that papillons are the poster dogs for periodontal disease, so Bucky is lucky his teeth aren't worse than they are. The vet thought they looked pretty good, but it's always good to do preventative care. I don't want it to lead to heart disease or anything. And the Heartguard stuff made him throw up, so they suggested this other thing called Iverheart that's a chewable pill, but it should be easier to take. He got his Advantage. He's all set.
I gave him the Iverheart the next day, because I didn't know if it would upset his stomach and I didn't want to give it to him the same day he had the nervous experience of the vet's office and shots. Still, he took it just fine. He even seemed to like the flavor. Great. The water additive seems to have no flavor or scent at all. They drink the water normally and didn't even sniff it like it smelled funny or anything. Great. Great.
Today it's just chore day. I started off with a mammoth laundry experience. Pretty much everything I own got thrown in there. Then, I vacuumed at that seemed to wear my shoulders out. Mom got this old-type vacuum that's the kind you roll around on the ground, but doesn't need attachments. While the not needing attachments part sounds great, the problem is that you have to hold the tube part out at a specific angle to get it to roll forward and now my shoulders are killing me from hunching over. Yes, even I, at 4'9", had to hunch over. I miss our old upright vacuum, even if I had to use attachments. It's a small price to pay for no sore shoulders, you know? I was going to clean the bathroom, but maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I don't think my back can take any more punishment today.
Anyway, that's about it. I'm glad Mocha Momma got her blog back up and running. I don't have a link to her site, but I'll have to add it on my list. For a while she was saying she wasn't going to blog anymore, so I thought I didn't need it, but now, if she's back, I'll have to add the link. She's pretty cool. : )
I gave him the Iverheart the next day, because I didn't know if it would upset his stomach and I didn't want to give it to him the same day he had the nervous experience of the vet's office and shots. Still, he took it just fine. He even seemed to like the flavor. Great. The water additive seems to have no flavor or scent at all. They drink the water normally and didn't even sniff it like it smelled funny or anything. Great. Great.
Today it's just chore day. I started off with a mammoth laundry experience. Pretty much everything I own got thrown in there. Then, I vacuumed at that seemed to wear my shoulders out. Mom got this old-type vacuum that's the kind you roll around on the ground, but doesn't need attachments. While the not needing attachments part sounds great, the problem is that you have to hold the tube part out at a specific angle to get it to roll forward and now my shoulders are killing me from hunching over. Yes, even I, at 4'9", had to hunch over. I miss our old upright vacuum, even if I had to use attachments. It's a small price to pay for no sore shoulders, you know? I was going to clean the bathroom, but maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I don't think my back can take any more punishment today.
Anyway, that's about it. I'm glad Mocha Momma got her blog back up and running. I don't have a link to her site, but I'll have to add it on my list. For a while she was saying she wasn't going to blog anymore, so I thought I didn't need it, but now, if she's back, I'll have to add the link. She's pretty cool. : )
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Getting sick of Hotmail!
Okay, on top of it being always down or not available, today I couldn't print an e-mail. Sounds simple enough, right. I've done it before plenty of times. But today IP forwarded a copy of the airline itinerary and confirmation to me. I wanted to print it so I could give a copy to whomever takes me to the airport and picks me up. It will probably be Mom, but we'll see. Plus, I want the confirmation number so that I can do the online check-in. Really cool. Anyway, so I'm trying to print it, and it fits on 2 pages, but only one page will print. So I had 2 sheets of paper with page 1 on it. Page 2 would not print. So I try hitting "print" again and just selecting page 2 to print and not page 1. This despite the fact that "all" had been clicked to begin with and it still only printed page 1. Well, that froze up the browser. So I tried not using Hotmail's print feature and just using the one on the browser. That didn't work either, because Hotmail kept saying I had to wait until the page finished loading and it wouldn't finish loading. It just kept saying it was transferring data. I had the e-mail in front of me and it was all loaded! It froze up the browser again. I tried a few more times and that didn't work. It froze up the browser each time I tried something different. So, I gave up on Hotmail and just copied the e-mail and pasted it into a Word document. That printed. So, this just seems like the last straw with Hotmail. I'm so sick of them. I'm sick of the delays. I'm sick of it being down. I'm sick of it never working right. I haven't had this many problems with an e-mail address since I had dial-up internet. I just don't know if I go somewhere else, will it be the same? I mean, are there any good ones out there? I've had problems when I tried to get a Yahoo account. It never let me log in. I mean, I might even still have the account if they didn't cancel it. I never used it because I was never able to log in. Anyway, I don't know where to go. If anyone has any recommendations for a good, trouble-free e-mail provider, I'd appreciate it.
I don't know if I ever mentioned this on this blog. I probably didn't. Sometimes I think I blogged about something and I actually only wrote about it in my journal. But I like to collect foreign currency. No rare coins or anything, although I'm sure that would be cool. I just can't afford it. But occasionally foreign currency ends up mixed in our own currency and I keep the foreign coins. I used to have one from China, but sis M kept stealing it when she was little and it got lost. Anyway, I just recently pulled out a coin, thinking it was a dime and it turns out it was an Arabic coin. I'm sure it came from one of our many military personnel living here, but I think it's pretty cool-looking. I obviously can't read Arabic, so I don't know where it's from exactly. But the script is really pretty and it has flowery lines all around and pretty pictures, too. It's just a really pretty coin. Most of my coins aren't really from very far away, usually Canada or Mexico. I don't do enough traveling to collect very many on my own, although I do have some French Francs from a trip to Paris a long time ago. I just like it when I get one that's from somewhere far away. I think I got some from Norway from my pen pal in high school, but those got lost, too. I mean, I thought I had them safe, but I haven't been able to find them, so obviously I'm not as good at keeping stuff as I thought I was.
I had my psychiatrist appointment today. He apparently didn't think my symptoms from a couple of months ago warranted changing the dosage of my Trileptal. Oh well. I thought so, but maybe not. He just said I will get an episode every once in a while and no medication can prevent them altogether. I guess I knew that, but I was hoping he could do something about it since it was a particularly long episode for me. AND I've been feeling a little off, but maybe not off enough to change the dosage. I don't know. Anyway, I guess it's better that way, because I doubt I could afford to take 4 of those 300 mg pills, or even to buy the more expensive 600 mg pills and take 2 of those instead. It's more expensive either way, and I didn't notice much difference in price if I did one rather than the other. It's expensive enough on the dose I'm on now. As it is, I buy the generic from Canada and that's not cheap either.
Poor Bucky has a vet's appointment on Monday. He's overdue for some shots and I was trying to get the money. S sent me $40 from England just so that I could get the exam with his rabies shot, but Mom says he needs more than that because he'll need the heartworm test, too. I mean, that would be more expensive if he ended up with heartworms, so I guess the test is cheaper. Plus, he'll need probably a parvo shot in addition to the rabies on and maybe something else, too. Living in apartments, I kind of need to keep his shots up-to-date in case he bites someone. Knowing my dog, he would if he could, too. But, I don't want them to take him away because he doesn't have his shots and Mom doesn't want that to happen either. So, she's going to charge the rest on her credit card. I mean, it's sweet of her. I just wish she didn't have to put it on the credit card, but she doesn't have the money to do it otherwise. How spoiled we are having dogs. I just can't imagine life without him.
Anyway, I guess I'm getting ready to go to NJ. Getting more excited about it all the time and I know IP can't wait to see me. I will hate all the airport security mess, etc., and I will hate being away from Bucky that long. I know I'll cry myself to sleep every night not having him with me. But I should still have a good time and it will be great to hang out with IP as we haven't been able to do that in years. And I always wanted her kids to know me, but it's been ages since I've seen them, too. Her little boy was an infant the last time I saw him and I think he's 5 years old now. Well, I guess that's it for now.
I don't know if I ever mentioned this on this blog. I probably didn't. Sometimes I think I blogged about something and I actually only wrote about it in my journal. But I like to collect foreign currency. No rare coins or anything, although I'm sure that would be cool. I just can't afford it. But occasionally foreign currency ends up mixed in our own currency and I keep the foreign coins. I used to have one from China, but sis M kept stealing it when she was little and it got lost. Anyway, I just recently pulled out a coin, thinking it was a dime and it turns out it was an Arabic coin. I'm sure it came from one of our many military personnel living here, but I think it's pretty cool-looking. I obviously can't read Arabic, so I don't know where it's from exactly. But the script is really pretty and it has flowery lines all around and pretty pictures, too. It's just a really pretty coin. Most of my coins aren't really from very far away, usually Canada or Mexico. I don't do enough traveling to collect very many on my own, although I do have some French Francs from a trip to Paris a long time ago. I just like it when I get one that's from somewhere far away. I think I got some from Norway from my pen pal in high school, but those got lost, too. I mean, I thought I had them safe, but I haven't been able to find them, so obviously I'm not as good at keeping stuff as I thought I was.
I had my psychiatrist appointment today. He apparently didn't think my symptoms from a couple of months ago warranted changing the dosage of my Trileptal. Oh well. I thought so, but maybe not. He just said I will get an episode every once in a while and no medication can prevent them altogether. I guess I knew that, but I was hoping he could do something about it since it was a particularly long episode for me. AND I've been feeling a little off, but maybe not off enough to change the dosage. I don't know. Anyway, I guess it's better that way, because I doubt I could afford to take 4 of those 300 mg pills, or even to buy the more expensive 600 mg pills and take 2 of those instead. It's more expensive either way, and I didn't notice much difference in price if I did one rather than the other. It's expensive enough on the dose I'm on now. As it is, I buy the generic from Canada and that's not cheap either.
Poor Bucky has a vet's appointment on Monday. He's overdue for some shots and I was trying to get the money. S sent me $40 from England just so that I could get the exam with his rabies shot, but Mom says he needs more than that because he'll need the heartworm test, too. I mean, that would be more expensive if he ended up with heartworms, so I guess the test is cheaper. Plus, he'll need probably a parvo shot in addition to the rabies on and maybe something else, too. Living in apartments, I kind of need to keep his shots up-to-date in case he bites someone. Knowing my dog, he would if he could, too. But, I don't want them to take him away because he doesn't have his shots and Mom doesn't want that to happen either. So, she's going to charge the rest on her credit card. I mean, it's sweet of her. I just wish she didn't have to put it on the credit card, but she doesn't have the money to do it otherwise. How spoiled we are having dogs. I just can't imagine life without him.
Anyway, I guess I'm getting ready to go to NJ. Getting more excited about it all the time and I know IP can't wait to see me. I will hate all the airport security mess, etc., and I will hate being away from Bucky that long. I know I'll cry myself to sleep every night not having him with me. But I should still have a good time and it will be great to hang out with IP as we haven't been able to do that in years. And I always wanted her kids to know me, but it's been ages since I've seen them, too. Her little boy was an infant the last time I saw him and I think he's 5 years old now. Well, I guess that's it for now.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Interview at Jim's
The interview wasn't FOR Jim's, but that's where the interview was because the store isn't finished out yet. So, I got to the Jim's and it's one of those weird, retro type restaurants down near downtown. Nothing fancy, but there was a coffee bar near the entrance that I wouldn't have minded trying except no one was standing there to take my order. I waited, but no one came. Oh well...
I got to the restaurant and went inside, thinking the man who was going to meet me would check to see if I arrived, but he didn't. So, I looked at my phone and there was a call from him around 2 pm when I'd been in the shower and I'd missed it. OMG! I was afraid he was calling to cancel, so I called him back, even though it was now almost 4 and time for my interview. He didn't answer his cell, so I was afraid something had happened and I'd blown my chances somehow. But he called back almost immediately and said he was in the back of the restaurant. Okay. Deep breath. I go back there and he was really good-natured about it, saying it was just a call to confirm the appointment anyway and not to worry. The interview went well, I think. He seemed genuinely interested, although I'd rather not get my hopes up too high. But I think part of the reason they're interested is that I don't have any experience really and they wouldn't have to pay me as much. That might have something to do with it. Anyway, the listing didn't say experience was required.
The drive home went fine, even though it was fairly long. It wasn't yet 5:00, so there wasn't much traffic. I don't know where to send the "Thank You" card, but maybe the store in Austin. Don't know if he'll get it or not. I can try.
I guess I don't have anything else to report. If I did get the job, I probably wouldn't start until I got back from NJ, which is good. The store won't open until the beginning of September. Hopefully they wouldn't need anything from me before then, but you never know. Right now, I'd really rather get the job and worry about anything else later. I just need a job. That's pretty much all I can think about at the moment, although I am getting more and more excited about going to NJ and seeing IP and the fam. I haven't seen them in ages and the last time I saw them I didn't really get to talk to them very much because I was shooting pictures for R's wedding and generally being distracted. It will be good to take some time away from job hunting and maybe blow off some steam. Wish I could take Bucky with me, but I know he'd hate being around the other dogs. Oh well. : (
Well, I guess that's it for now. Wish I had better blog entries to write, but I'm sort of in a block right now and can't think of much else.
I got to the restaurant and went inside, thinking the man who was going to meet me would check to see if I arrived, but he didn't. So, I looked at my phone and there was a call from him around 2 pm when I'd been in the shower and I'd missed it. OMG! I was afraid he was calling to cancel, so I called him back, even though it was now almost 4 and time for my interview. He didn't answer his cell, so I was afraid something had happened and I'd blown my chances somehow. But he called back almost immediately and said he was in the back of the restaurant. Okay. Deep breath. I go back there and he was really good-natured about it, saying it was just a call to confirm the appointment anyway and not to worry. The interview went well, I think. He seemed genuinely interested, although I'd rather not get my hopes up too high. But I think part of the reason they're interested is that I don't have any experience really and they wouldn't have to pay me as much. That might have something to do with it. Anyway, the listing didn't say experience was required.
The drive home went fine, even though it was fairly long. It wasn't yet 5:00, so there wasn't much traffic. I don't know where to send the "Thank You" card, but maybe the store in Austin. Don't know if he'll get it or not. I can try.
I guess I don't have anything else to report. If I did get the job, I probably wouldn't start until I got back from NJ, which is good. The store won't open until the beginning of September. Hopefully they wouldn't need anything from me before then, but you never know. Right now, I'd really rather get the job and worry about anything else later. I just need a job. That's pretty much all I can think about at the moment, although I am getting more and more excited about going to NJ and seeing IP and the fam. I haven't seen them in ages and the last time I saw them I didn't really get to talk to them very much because I was shooting pictures for R's wedding and generally being distracted. It will be good to take some time away from job hunting and maybe blow off some steam. Wish I could take Bucky with me, but I know he'd hate being around the other dogs. Oh well. : (
Well, I guess that's it for now. Wish I had better blog entries to write, but I'm sort of in a block right now and can't think of much else.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Waaaay too easy...
I had to call the bank because I hadn't gotten my new bank card and the old one was just about to expire. So I call and they say they sent it, but I never got it. So since it was so close to being the end of the month, they were going to overnight one to me. I never got the overnighted one either. So I called again. Turns out, they did send the overnighted one and someone activated it. I was shocked, first of all, that that was even possible. I mean, don't you have to give out information to verify your identity? Shouldn't calling from the home phone number mean that you can't activate the card if you call from a different phone number? Apparently not. I just received the second overnighted card and activated it a moment ago. All I had to do was enter the card number (easy enough, it was right in front of me) then enter a new PIN. That's it. No verification procedures, nothing. I can't help but to think this isn't very secure. Normally, I love my bank. They're fantastic. But I can't believe it was that easy for someone to take my card and activate it. The good thing was that I was waiting for the card and called the bank right away when I didn't get it. They were able to cancel that card before any charges had been made on it. But really, there should be some way of making sure no one can use it but me. I'm shocked and disappointed.
Anyway, in other news, I had to get a haircut. I hated that my hair was so long and it was getting tangled all the time. It was nearly impossible to brush it out. I just ended up with wads of hair being pulled out. I've been to places and had really good haircuts and been to them when I had a really awful haircut. So I didn't want to go to a really cheap place figuring the people that work there aren't as experienced. So I went and got a $30 haircut. Not too expensive (except for me, because that was all the money I had--but I'm sure employed people could swing it fairly easily), but not too cheap either. Normally I'd want a senior stylist or a master stylist to do my hair, but $30 was about all I could afford. They saw me right away and the woman who cut my hair seemed to be distracted or something. The way she cut my hair (long layers and just below my shoulders in length) didn't seem to be the way most people cut layers. She just picked at it and cut some parts shorter than other parts. It looked like a mess! I mean, my hair was wet when I left (can't afford a blow-dry, too), so I hoped it would look better when it dried, although I doubted it. But the dryer it got the worse it looked. It didn't look layered at all. It was just chopped up. AND it was way shorter than I wanted it. I did NOT want short hair. I actually cried when I got home it was so awful. So I called the salon to see if I could speak to a manager, but apparently there doesn't need to be a manager on duty at a salon as there has to be in retail because there wasn't going to be a manager in until the next day. Weird. So I'm thinking I'll go in in the morning when the manager gets there and see if they can redo my hair. As it was, I knew there was nothing they could do about the length as it was already too short, which was bad enough. The next day, I wake up and go straight down there. I got there a little after they opened, around 10:30 when they opened at 10:00. They tell me she isn't going to be in until 11:30. Well, on the phone, they'd told me she'd be in at 10:00. I was MAD. But I didn't have anything to do and it would take me too long to get home to wait at home. So I wait there. She didn't get there until noon! I told her what was wrong with my hair and she said she didn't know why I waited because anyone could have helped me. Well, how would I know that I didn't need to see her first, you know? But the guy that cut my hair seemed to know what he was doing. It doesn't look fantastic or anything, but I'll admit it's an improvement. I just wish it had looked as good as it's been in the past when I got the same haircut. I still cried when I got home because I was so mad and it was way too short. I mean, he didn't cut off much to do the layers, but it was already short from when the other lady cut it. I can't help but to be really disappointed in how it came out. It's not what I wanted at all. I mean, it's layered, but it doesn't look really "good", just "okay" or "not too bad". But I don't want to have someone else take a shot at it if it's already as short as it is and have even more cut off. I'm just not happy with it.
Also, I had to buy some jeans. I don't know if it will be cool in NJ or not at the end of August, but it might be. I don't know. So, I wanted to have some jeans, but the only ones I had from last year were size 4. I went all over the place looking for a size 2 with a 27" inseam. It's nearly impossible. I mean, I found these Lauren Jeans ones but they were $70. They looked fantastic on, but they'd better for $70, you know? But really there's no way I could spend that much. I tried on jeans at the Gap, remembering I used to buy jeans there when I was younger, but after I tried them on, they didn't fit great, but they fit. I looked at the price and they were $50! OMG! I remember when I was younger and they were only $35. Crazy. So, I just really didn't want to spend that much. I went to Burlington because they were having a huge sale, but couldn't find any that had the 27" inseam. That's really the hardest part. Then, I went to the mall and went into just about every store there, looking at jeans. Most of the stores there had juniors sizes, which don't fit me (for one thing, I have a butt and it won't fit in an ultra-low rise jean). I went to the department stores, but even then, there weren't any that had a 27" inseam AND the size 2. Really, even in the petite section, most of them were size 14 or else the smallest size they carried was a 4. Eventually, I caved and went to the Gap again. I told the saleswoman what I wanted since she approached me right as I came in and she pulled out the classic fit size 2 ankle-length, and it was too long! What? That's what I'd tried on in the other store that fit. The other styles it fit too long. So this other guy comes over and he says that the new classic fit ankle length is going to be longer than the old stock. So, if I was lucky a store still had the old stock still in and that would fit. But the new stock is going to be longer. Stupid. Luckily they had ONE pair left of the old stock that was a 2, so I got those. Now I don't know where I'll find jeans if I can't even get ripped off at the Gap. There's no way I can afford the $70 Lauren Jeans. $50 was bad enough. Maybe I'll try the factory stores in San Marcos. Don't know.
Well, that's it I suppose. Not much going on. Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I haven't had much to blog about, though. I have one job interview tomorrow. Hope it goes well. We'll see. The only thing I'm really nervous about is getting home in rush hour traffic because the interview is near downtown at 4pm. The only other slot they had was at 8am, and I'm NOT a morning person. Plus, trying to get there by 8 in rush hour traffic sounded much more difficult than if I went later. Getting home isn't time-sensitive, you know? Anyway, I'll let everyone know how it goes, not that it's all that interesting to blog about, I'm sure. But if I get an offer on the spot I'd be thrilled. Don't think that happens in real life, though. : )
Anyway, in other news, I had to get a haircut. I hated that my hair was so long and it was getting tangled all the time. It was nearly impossible to brush it out. I just ended up with wads of hair being pulled out. I've been to places and had really good haircuts and been to them when I had a really awful haircut. So I didn't want to go to a really cheap place figuring the people that work there aren't as experienced. So I went and got a $30 haircut. Not too expensive (except for me, because that was all the money I had--but I'm sure employed people could swing it fairly easily), but not too cheap either. Normally I'd want a senior stylist or a master stylist to do my hair, but $30 was about all I could afford. They saw me right away and the woman who cut my hair seemed to be distracted or something. The way she cut my hair (long layers and just below my shoulders in length) didn't seem to be the way most people cut layers. She just picked at it and cut some parts shorter than other parts. It looked like a mess! I mean, my hair was wet when I left (can't afford a blow-dry, too), so I hoped it would look better when it dried, although I doubted it. But the dryer it got the worse it looked. It didn't look layered at all. It was just chopped up. AND it was way shorter than I wanted it. I did NOT want short hair. I actually cried when I got home it was so awful. So I called the salon to see if I could speak to a manager, but apparently there doesn't need to be a manager on duty at a salon as there has to be in retail because there wasn't going to be a manager in until the next day. Weird. So I'm thinking I'll go in in the morning when the manager gets there and see if they can redo my hair. As it was, I knew there was nothing they could do about the length as it was already too short, which was bad enough. The next day, I wake up and go straight down there. I got there a little after they opened, around 10:30 when they opened at 10:00. They tell me she isn't going to be in until 11:30. Well, on the phone, they'd told me she'd be in at 10:00. I was MAD. But I didn't have anything to do and it would take me too long to get home to wait at home. So I wait there. She didn't get there until noon! I told her what was wrong with my hair and she said she didn't know why I waited because anyone could have helped me. Well, how would I know that I didn't need to see her first, you know? But the guy that cut my hair seemed to know what he was doing. It doesn't look fantastic or anything, but I'll admit it's an improvement. I just wish it had looked as good as it's been in the past when I got the same haircut. I still cried when I got home because I was so mad and it was way too short. I mean, he didn't cut off much to do the layers, but it was already short from when the other lady cut it. I can't help but to be really disappointed in how it came out. It's not what I wanted at all. I mean, it's layered, but it doesn't look really "good", just "okay" or "not too bad". But I don't want to have someone else take a shot at it if it's already as short as it is and have even more cut off. I'm just not happy with it.
Also, I had to buy some jeans. I don't know if it will be cool in NJ or not at the end of August, but it might be. I don't know. So, I wanted to have some jeans, but the only ones I had from last year were size 4. I went all over the place looking for a size 2 with a 27" inseam. It's nearly impossible. I mean, I found these Lauren Jeans ones but they were $70. They looked fantastic on, but they'd better for $70, you know? But really there's no way I could spend that much. I tried on jeans at the Gap, remembering I used to buy jeans there when I was younger, but after I tried them on, they didn't fit great, but they fit. I looked at the price and they were $50! OMG! I remember when I was younger and they were only $35. Crazy. So, I just really didn't want to spend that much. I went to Burlington because they were having a huge sale, but couldn't find any that had the 27" inseam. That's really the hardest part. Then, I went to the mall and went into just about every store there, looking at jeans. Most of the stores there had juniors sizes, which don't fit me (for one thing, I have a butt and it won't fit in an ultra-low rise jean). I went to the department stores, but even then, there weren't any that had a 27" inseam AND the size 2. Really, even in the petite section, most of them were size 14 or else the smallest size they carried was a 4. Eventually, I caved and went to the Gap again. I told the saleswoman what I wanted since she approached me right as I came in and she pulled out the classic fit size 2 ankle-length, and it was too long! What? That's what I'd tried on in the other store that fit. The other styles it fit too long. So this other guy comes over and he says that the new classic fit ankle length is going to be longer than the old stock. So, if I was lucky a store still had the old stock still in and that would fit. But the new stock is going to be longer. Stupid. Luckily they had ONE pair left of the old stock that was a 2, so I got those. Now I don't know where I'll find jeans if I can't even get ripped off at the Gap. There's no way I can afford the $70 Lauren Jeans. $50 was bad enough. Maybe I'll try the factory stores in San Marcos. Don't know.
Well, that's it I suppose. Not much going on. Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I haven't had much to blog about, though. I have one job interview tomorrow. Hope it goes well. We'll see. The only thing I'm really nervous about is getting home in rush hour traffic because the interview is near downtown at 4pm. The only other slot they had was at 8am, and I'm NOT a morning person. Plus, trying to get there by 8 in rush hour traffic sounded much more difficult than if I went later. Getting home isn't time-sensitive, you know? Anyway, I'll let everyone know how it goes, not that it's all that interesting to blog about, I'm sure. But if I get an offer on the spot I'd be thrilled. Don't think that happens in real life, though. : )
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