Honu Girl

Light-headed

2008-07-17T16:22:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling a bit light-headed at the moment. This morning, I looked like this:

As of half an hour ago, I look like this:

The ponytail is going to Locks of Love. I'll probably be sobbing tomorrow morning, and I know that Andy will be sad tomorrow night (he's away until then). But, I think after the morning-after regret, I'll like it, at least for a while. And if not, hey, it will grow back!

The major concern I have? Can I actually straighten my hair like that ever again? Or is it going to shrink up above my ears from the curl?

Books and Life

2008-07-10T07:36:00.003-05:00

Even though I really have no time to read, I'm currently in the midst of four different books, all different. I'm still reading Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle - I find I have to do that in bits and pieces to digest everything, so it's taking me far longer than it "should." I'm also reading a book about science and religion (interesting from all sides, whether you believe in a higher power or not), and one other non-fiction book by A.J. Jacobs, The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. I'll talk more about that one another time, as I've just started it, and I've already got a whole bunch of new words.

The book that's captivating me now in Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture (cowritten with Jeffrey Zaslow). For those of you who haven't heard about it, this book came about from a lecture Pausch gave at Carnegie Mellon's "Last Lecture" series, entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Many have given a so-called "last lecture" but Randy's really is - he was recently diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He wrote the book (with assistance) to further expand on those thoughts, even though it took time away from his family. One reason he gave for writing the book is so that his kids (6, 4, and 18 months, give or take) will have something else of him.

This book is so bittersweet. Randy doesn't seem angry. He often only mentions the cancer in passing - although he likes to call it the "elephant in the room." But, the thing that's really getting me, is that he's continuing to lead his life as he always has. He's just become more vocal about how to do it, and what you should do.

But really, what I wanted to talk about was a chapter of his that talked about his views about what college is/should be. He makes a statement that many people today look at college as a consumer - they pay some money, they expect a result, similar to buying a shirt or a car. He argues, however, that while it is a consumer product, it's more akin to paying for a personal trainer - you don't give a personal trainer money and *poof* you're in shape (no matter how much we might wish for that to happen). You give a personal trainer money to assist you in reaching your goals. The same could be said of college.

I think that's something that a lot of people forget. College (or any education) doesn't give you something for nothing, or something for just a bunch of money. Yes, you pay for it and should expect certain things from it, but you also have to work for it. Just paying for it is only the start. It's a collaborative effort.

There's lots of other things in the book that are wonderful and beautiful. And Randy is also not shy about mentioning his faults - that he can be arrogant and a jerk. I think one thing this books shows is that we ALL have something of value to share with the world. We just don't all know how to do it.

Swim log: 900 yards! Best day since I started again. Got inspired by Sarah telling me that she gets motivated using the "Denise" method, where I encouraged her to push herself on the treadmill. I figured I should follow my own advice, but I also realize that I'm a much better coach than athlete.

My husband, the archanophobe

2008-07-08T11:05:00.003-05:00

Image (c) Lewis Scharpf

We've been watching a spider build a HUGE web across a little-used side door at our house. Unfortunately, before I was able to get a good picture of either the web or the spider, Andy had to displace the spider (he didn't kill her) and take down the web because it FREAKED him out. I'm proud that he managed to move the spider across the yard, considering he is a serious archanophobe.

We did managed to identify her, though. We figured out she was an orb-weaver by the size and design of her web. But, I had never seen a green spider like her before, so it took a while to track her down. We finally found out that she most likely is a Giant Lichen Orbweaver. Check out those links for more pictures. This was one impressive looking spider.

We also have a funnel spider living outside our den window. She's built a pretty impressive web as well, in a very different form. We'll see if I can get some photos of that before Andy displaces her, too!

swim log: a pathetic 600 yards.

Videos of Kiddos

2008-07-07T09:25:00.003-05:00

Because I have nothing else to talk about, here are some videos of my darling kids. Please excuse the saccharine sweetness of this post.

First up, Ginny running at Andy.

That giggle is quiet compared to what she had been letting out at the sight of pelicans! and seagulls! Too terribly exciting!

And then there's Kieran, being a goofball in the ocean at Gulf Shores:

Both these videos were taken with Andy's cell phone, a Nokia N95 that he is in love with. Now I'm thinking we might actually have to get a real video camera.

Minor Freakout

2008-07-02T15:35:00.002-05:00

Having a minor freak-out at the moment. We wrote the last check for Kieran's preschool today. He starts kindergarten in just over a month.

He's starting real school! He can't be that old! How am I going to handle it if they assign him homework, since it's been shown not to do any good for little kids? Where do you buy clear backpacks? Is he going to get picked on at school? How are we going to handle the logistics of kids at different schools? Will he like school? Will he make friends? Is this school actually good enough, or should we have sent him to a private school?

I'm going off to the corner now to curl up and sob uncontrollably.

Day Brightener

2008-06-24T11:07:00.002-05:00

This video made me laugh and cry and want to jump for joy.

See for yourself...

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

(found via MetroDad)

Matt is about the luckiest guy - he gets to travel and dance and be happy, and get enough money to live on, at least for a while. And all those people! So happy!

Go ahead. Watch again. I won't tell.

Some Advice

2008-06-23T08:23:00.002-05:00

Some tidbits I picked up from my week on Grand Jury last week.

If you have drugs in the car, obey all traffic laws. Getting pulled over for a routine traffic stop was the most common way people got caught with drugs.
If you let the cops into your house for a voluntary search, don't go running off to flush your drugs. They know you're going to do it, and will watch you, and get a bit annoyed.
If you have digital scales, clean them after you weigh your drugs.
If you are in a car accident, don't leave the scene. That's a felony, regardless of injury.
If you must leave your GHB (a "date rape" drug, that also is sometimes used to just mellow you out) in your car, don't leave it in a soda bottle where your kid can get it.
If you're going to write fake prescriptions, don't try to fill them at the same pharmacy on the same day.

There's lots more advice I could give, but these are the ones that immediately pop to mind. Thank GAWD I only have one more day of this to deal with. I'm not sure I could take more.

In other news, Mario Cart for Wii ROCKS!! Now I just have to set it up for wifi :D

Yet another reason to vote Burns!

2008-06-12T12:56:00.002-05:00

Anyone who uses higher math to conclusively PROVE who is perfect candidate is the ideal choice. I haven't been this excited about a candidate in, well, forever.

Burns/Alba 2008! Do it for the kittens!

One reason I've been so quiet

2008-05-21T09:43:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling a lot like this (click to enlarge):

And while part of me knows that I'm not a horrible mother, I have been snapping at my kids all the time. And I hate that, and am trying to fix it, but sometimes that involves me retreating into myself. Also, it involves actually convincing myself that I'm not actually a horrible mother.

Gratuitous kid cuteness

2008-05-14T15:42:00.000-05:00

Because I need some more cuteness today, here's a video of my son from Monday, his fifth birthday.

He had a wonderful birthday, with lots of cake and presents and hyperactivity. And yes, he really did have alligator for dinner.

No, I'm not TRYING to be a cacafuego

2008-05-09T08:35:00.002-05:00

I haven't been motivated to post lately. I've been sliding down into a deep dark pit of depression, and I was having a hard time pulling myself out of it. I go through this sometimes. I know it's just part of the up and down cycle that can be my depression, but it still sucks.

The past two days have been much better, thanks in large part to Sarah and chris who both have the amazing ability to make me smile and laugh no matter how crappy I feel. Twitter is also improving my mood - go sign up for it, follow me and Sarah and Doc and all. Y'all, we talk about boobs and great links and how Doc doesn't have a Sonic or Waffle House near him. Great times that you'll be missing if you don't join up!

I hadn't been swimming in over a week, either, which I don't think helped my mood. Amazing how quickly I got used to the exercise high I get. Just enforces my resolve to keep it up, though.

And, Andy has been spectacular this week. Letting me know he's there if I need him, but also giving me my space. Cheering me up with an early mother's day present of a personalized license plate. Getting mini chocolate souffles for us for dinner one night. Putting up with my pissiness. And singing "Boom de yada" at random points (check out that first link if you haven't yet - Mike Rowe goodness!). Because that always makes me happier. How can it not?

Oh, just in case your wondering what a cacafuego is, check out this list of 10 insulting words you should know.

Preschool Teachers are amazing

2008-05-01T08:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Kieran's class had a field trip to the zoo. His teacher is a MASTER of organization. She had bags put together for each group with a first aid kit, disposable camera, sunscreen, snacks, and other miscellanea. She had grouped the kids together with other kids they got along with, but wouldn't get too rambunctious together. Made sure the few kids that didn't have parents along were with groups that had extra parents.

Kieran LOVES the zoo, and we go about once a month or so. But yesterday seemed more tiring than normal. I think it was keeping up with 3 boys and being social with two mothers I didn't know before yesterday. I get tired being "on" even sometimes with people I know well. I don't know how Kieran's teachers keep up with the WHOLE CLASS every day. Whatever they're paid, it's not nearly enough.

Or maybe it was tiring just from the sheer volume of people around. I think most of Tuscaloosa County schools were there yesterday. There were at least 10 Tuscaloosa County school buses in the parking lot, and at least one private school from the county there that didn't use buses. Crazy number of people.

The kids got to experience an educational program at the zoo, where a zoo educator brought three animals to show them and talk about. I may be biased after doing things like this as my job, but while she wasn't bad she wasn't very good, at least for this age group. She's probably used to working with older kids. She'd ask questions that were well beyond a 5 year old's grasp. Plus, I think she might have been sick. But, I like that she was trying to engage the kids in her talk, and was fairly patient with them. The kids still enjoyed it, and got to pet a baby alligator.

Exciting things since the last time we were there - the butterflies have opened for the season, and the new kangaroo exhibit was open. It was too cold for the joey to be out, but we did see some adult 'roos hopping around. And I'm such a sucker - I got a stuffed kangaroo mom and joey for Ginny. Way too much money, but SO CUTE.

I forgot my camera, but hopefully we'll get some copies of the pictures the teacher took and from the disposable camera. Overall, a great day.

On a side note, they finally reverted R M Scrushy Pkwy back to Lloyd Noland Pkwy. Took 'em long enough.

Stream of Conciousness of an almost 5 year old

2008-04-29T07:39:00.002-05:00

"Mummy, why do we build houses somewhere? If we didn't build houses somewhere, they'd be nowhere, right? The workers made our house of brick so it would be strong. How come the zoo is so far away? Can we play Lego Star Wars? I stayed on green! Why do we always play Lego Star Wars? Is it because I love you? Because I love you and you love me. Can we have burgers for dinner? We had science class today. Did you know that air is all around you? Blow on your hand and you can feel it. Why did you pick me up? Is Daddy going to be home? Can we go to the store? I changed my mind. I am going to marry Hannah, now that she's back from China. [note: she was actually in NC] Did Ginny get a green turtle? She's little, so she doesn't know any better. I'm strong, because I'm OLD. Why do I go to school? Do I go to school the day after this day? Are we almost home? Our house is in the forest, because there's trees all around. We beat Daddy home!"

Editor's note: This was pretty much the entirety of our "conversation" on the way home from preschool yesterday. I may have left out some of the things he said, but I got most of it, I think, including the random transitions and not allowing me to respond to anything. I love his active mind, but wow, can he talk!

Swim log: 700 yards. I seem to be stuck here.

Pro-sleep has my vote!

2008-04-25T10:31:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I am sick of presidential politics. Luckily, I have decided who I am voting for in the upcoming election. Paul Burns is the only candidate for me! Not only is he the only pro-kitten candidate, he is also for a good night's sleep, and has a bitchin' vocabulary. His policies are sounder than any other candidate. Really.

I think Sarah and I are becoming de facto Paul Burns campaign workers. Anyone else want to join us? Reform politics now! C'mon, you KNOW we need an official Presidential Slapper.

Round-up of the past several days

2008-04-21T15:25:00.004-05:00

I'm still in recovery mode from last week. Y'all, Grand Jury duty is not physically hard, but it is emotionally draining. Even though, in reality, there's not that much crime going on, it certainly seems that way when you have to hear 600(!) cases in a week. Not full cases - just enough to decide if there's enough to hand down an indictment. One week down, two more to go. Luckily, it's not three weeks in a row - my next week to serve is in May, and the final week is in June.

And I didn't even really have a restful weekend, either. We went to Atlanta on Saturday to go to Ikea (hey, Ikea - open a store in Birmingham or Tuscaloosa! You'd get lots of business, as fully one third of the license plates in the parking lot were from Alabama, primarily Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties.) I think we spent about 5 hours there. Andy likes (likes isn't quite the right word, but whatever) to agonize and fret and ponder big purchases. We had some things we were definitely getting, but we were looking at some other things, too. We got some storage for Kieran's room, and spent maybe 2 hours looking at desks for Andy. I love Ikea, and the kids have fun (to a degree) but everyone gets cranky by the end of it, especially knowing that you have a 3 hour drive ahead of you after you get everything in the car.

And I didn't get swimming at all last week. I was just too tired to go, and also didn't want to risk being late for jury duty. However, I did get back in the water today, and it felt great. 700 yards! And it didn't feel like I was pushing myself too much, so I have high hopes for greater distance on Wed.

Hope y'all had better weeks than me.

Grand jury vs petit jury

2008-04-15T06:07:00.003-05:00

Wow, I've learned a lot about the justice system in the past day. I finally understand the difference between a grand jury and a petit (or "regular") jury*. And let me tell you, if you ever get called for jury duty, hope that it's for "regular" duty. If you have to serve as a grand juror, you're obligated for 3 months.

Granted, it's not every day for 3 months. But, I'm at the courthouse all day, every day this week, and for one week in May and one week in June. Plus a couple of half-days here and there. For this, I get compensated a lovely $10 a day, plus the generous mileage allotment of $0.05 per mile.

Grand juries essentially decide if there is enough for a case to go to trial. This week alone, we're going to rule on something like 600 cases. A lot of these do get lumped together (we were able to take care of something like 150 cases in about 10 minutes in one instance) as each individual charge is a separate case at this level.

And, while I'm not foreperson, I am what's called the "bookkeeper." This is not accounting as in dollars and cents, but I keep track of what we decide on each case, and record it and some other pertinent information into the log book that we'll use to give our report to the judge. I ended up there an extra half-hour or so last night, completing the paperwork from what we did (those 150 cases? Each had a form that had to be filled).

Obviously I can't talk about specifics on these cases. But wow. It's amazing already some of the things I've heard. Wish me luck on all this.

*A "grand jury" is a large jury - 18 people. Twelve people need to vote in favor of an indictment for it to go through. A "petit jury", or small jury, is 12 people and hears cases in the "trial by jury" sense. To convict, all 12 need to vote to convict. There's some other things, but that's the basics.

Sad gorilla is sad (plus bonus jury duty!)

2008-04-14T06:56:00.003-05:00

We went to the zoo this weekend, where we were saddened to learn that Babec died. Babec made world news when he received the first successful cardiac resynchronization therapy device, or CRT, in 2004. Unfortunately, the cardiac disease continued to progress, and Babec was euthanized on Friday. Babec was always one of Kieran's favorite stops on our zoo trips, and he will be missed. Jamie, the other gorilla, is great, but doesn't have quite the same personality.

In other news, I'm on jury duty this week. Only the second time I've ever been called, and this is the first time I'm ever reporting. The first time I was called was just before we left Hawaii - my date was actually after we moved, so I was no longer in the state. Great excuse there! I'm interested to see how things go - am I really "too educated" to serve on most juries? Do I follow the news "too much"? Will I just sit around and be bored out of my skull, waiting? I'll keep you posted. Obviously not about the details of a case if I'm actually seated, but at least about the whole process.

Feeling like a failed parent

2008-04-11T07:21:00.002-05:00

I know I'm not. Just there are some times when you feel that way, no matter what is actually going on. Yesterday was one of those days.

Ginny, who is 18 months, apparently bit a "friend" yesterday in daycare. I feel HORRIBLE about this. Kieran was on the receiving end of a biter for almost two years, and I was always so thankful that he wasn't a biter. I never got mad at the biter, or the biter's parent, because I know it's a phase, and that it's done because the kid can't communicate his/her feelings another way. They're little - they're still learning. But I know there are some parents out there who will blame the parent of the biter, wanting you to smack the child for biting, or worse still, bite them back. How does biting back teach a child not to bite? One thing I'm grateful for is that the teachers at preschool never say who the biter or bitee are - that way, no blame is assigned to the parents. I always kind of wanted to know who the biter of Kieran was, so I could reassure them that I understood, and that it was okay. I am just hoping that Ginny's victim's parents are as understanding. And, I really hope that Ginny doesn't become a chronic biter. She's not very verbal yet, which I think it one of the reasons she might bite. We're working on that, or on other ways for her to express herself.

Kieran also didn't have that great a day yesterday. They have a green, yellow, red traffic-light behaviour system in their class. They usually get warnings before they're moved to yellow or red, and if Kieran is on yellow, it's usually for not being quiet during nap time. If it's not that, it's for not following directions, and then he's usually on red. This happens maybe once every three weeks or so, with yellow happening more often (sometimes once a week or more). Because Kieran has had such a hard time listening and following directions at home, we decided to try to give him an incentive to at least follow directions at school. We told him if he stayed on green all week, we'd go to the Huntsville Space Center this weekend. It's worked well at home and at school, until yesterday. He wasn't quiet at naptime (which his teachers are somewhat forgiving of, but only to a point). More importantly, he blatantly disobeyed his teacher at one point. They were playing outside, and he wanted a drink. His teacher said not right now, we'll all go in to get one in just a bit. He went to the door of their classroom, and his teacher told him if he went in, he'd go on red. He went in anyway. The kicker on this one is that Kieran told me when I picked him up "It's no big deal." That I think upset me more than him disobeying.

Both kids screamed in the car the entire way home. Then they both were screaming and clamoring on me and pushing each other pretty much until dinnertime. Ginny was better after dinner and a bath - she had a good cuddle with me and went to sleep (and slept well!) after that. Kieran threw a hissy-fit about taking a shower (we had given him the option of shower or bath, and he chose shower) and another one about where he was going to sleep and about even going to bed. I know he's stubborn, and he gets that from me, but there's also a part of me who thinks I must be a bad parent if I can't get my child to follow simple directions.

I'm feeling better about things this morning. Part of that is just perspective. Also, both kids apparently woke up in a good mood and are (so far) behaving quite well. Here's hoping it will continue for the rest of the day.

So we won't be heading to Huntsville this weekend. But maybe, if Kieran's good, he and his dad can "camp" in the backyard this weekend.

Swim log: 700 yards

OH NOES! MAH INTERWEEBS!

2008-04-09T10:36:00.004-05:00

On the days I swim, I've been getting into the office earlier than normal. (Logic being as I increase the distance/time of my workout, I won't have to get up any earlier). I've been using that time to blog, read other blogs and fanfic, check non-work email, and other general interweeb stuffz. This morning, however, I was thwarted. We had no connection to the outside world. (I didn't try the phones, although they often go out too). Whatever was I going to do? I was isolated. I felt alone.

An hour later, we had connection again. I don't know what was wrong, and/or what got fixed, but I felt a great sense of relief. Probably more so than I should have. I felt connected to the world, and more complete. Hard to believe that 15 years ago I had barely heard of email, and now so much of my life, work and personal, involves computer connection.

"Back in my day, we only had a 2400 baud modem, and were grateful for that!" I can just picture that conversation with my kids later in life :D

Swim Log: Less muscle hurt today, but still some. Managed to do 600 yards, and will hopefully be back up to 700 or more by Friday.

Youngest backseat driver EVER

2008-04-08T08:35:00.002-05:00

Well, maybe not the youngest ever, but Kieran is starting earlier than most.

This morning, I was taking him to preschool. We were on the final approach, essentially getting close to the turn we had to make to get to the preschool. This last stretch is a transition from freeway to high-volume surface street.

He pipes up from the back, "Get in the center lane, Mommy! There's a space! Why aren't you in the center lane? I want to be in the center lane!"

"No, sweetheart. I want to be in the right lane."

"But we need to be in the center lane EVERY DAY." (This is a phrase that he uses a lot when he wants something. I have no idea what it means, either.)

"No, we don't. I need to be in this lane."

"There's a space, Mommy! Get in the center lane! That truck is far enough back that you can get in the center lane!"

"Sweetheart, I'm the one who's driving. When you can drive, you can travel in the center lane if you think it's necessary. However, I'm staying in the right lane for now, end of discussion."

"But can we go in the center lane sometime?"

"Sure thing. Just not now."

"Okay then. We'll go in the center lane the day after this day." (Another common phrase he uses, which apparently does NOT mean tomorrow to him. He's not very good with linear time yet.)

We then pulled into the preschool parking lot, where he proceeded to tell me that I had to pick him up today so he could go to his swim class (which is true), and that I mustn't forget to pick him up (which I never have).

Maybe he's just bossy :D

Random beauty

2008-04-07T13:11:00.004-05:00

Random beauty in a pretty terrible thing:

Click on image for spectacular full-size. Ganked from here, which if it isn't on your daily reading list, should be.

I'm tempted to use it as my desktop, and I'm currently resisting the urge to macro it.

Today on Child Discovery

2008-04-07T07:43:00.004-05:00

Ginny is so much fun at this age (18 months). She's so into discovering things. When you're an adult, you sometimes forget just how much there is to discover about the world. One of Ginny's favorite things to do right now is to put lids onto things, or put things into other things. At mealtime, she often spends a lot of it taking food out of the little tupperware, putting it on her plate, picking it back up and putting it back into the tupperware, and then closing the lid. It keeps her entertained, with the added bonus that she will occasionally actually eat a piece in the process.

Last night, during her bath, she was playing with the cup we use to rinse off the soap. She started trying to grab handfuls of water to put in the cup. >>grab<< >>place in cup<< >>surprise that nothing is in there<< >>repeat<< style="font-style: italic;" size="2">Swim log: Only 500 yards today, which is the minimum I'll allow myself to do. Seem to have maybe pulled a muscle in my leg, which made varying my stroke impossible (didn't hurt when I swam crawl, but did if I did anything else). Hopefully some stretching in the next couple of days will work that out. I'd like to get up to 1000 yards by the end of the semester.

Friday flailing

2008-04-04T08:19:00.002-05:00

I want to write. I have lots of thoughts bouncing around, but nothing coherent. Ramble ramble ramble.

Things I've thought about blogging:

Start of BSG s4 tonight! About frakking time! I can hardly remember what had been happening, so hopefully it will all make sense. We haven't bought s3 on DVD yet, so I can't rewatch it and catch up.
The fact I'm actually hand-repairing a quilt we got as a wedding present. It was bought in Egypt and is really pretty, but we've had a hard time using it recently because the edging has started to come off, so your foot gets caught in it and pulls more edging loose. The repair really needs to be done by hand, essentially stitching/weaving together bits of worn fabric. The cats have been hating this, as they can't sit in my lap while I'm doing this.
How awesome Buffy the Vampire Slayer is. In particular, Giles ROCKS. So does Spike. And we're almost through with s2 and still need to get s3 and I don't know when we'll be able to do it and ahhh!
Random kid cuteness - Ginny likes to help unload the dishwasher (a bit scary, but we let her, grabbing fragile things quickly) and also move laundry from the washer to the dryer. It's disgustingly cute. Also, Kieran has discovered the joy of Wii Lego Star Wars, and is getting quite good at it.
Random kid frustration - I love my son to pieces, but sometimes, he drives me BONKERS. I think we're too much alike, actually, and get frustrated at the same time which doesn't lead to pleasant conversations.

Nothing really gripping. My life, in a nutshell.

Swim log: 750 yards today. Odd muscles are hurting, but overall, I feel better for doing this. I'm hoping that by "publicly" logging my distance it will keep me going. We'll see if I'm still doing this in a month.

ow ow ow ow

2008-04-02T07:43:00.003-05:00

I'm going to hurt later today.

Correction - I already hurt a bit. I'm going to hurt MORE later today.

Why? I went swimming - lap swimming for exercise, not just splashing around - for the first time in over 5 years today. I'm horribly out of shape, but not as bad as I thought. I managed to exceed my goal yardage this morning (goal was 500 yds, I did 700 yds) and I was either keeping pace or going faster than the co-eds in the lanes next to me, who looked far more in shape than I.

Swimming has always been my aerobic activity of choice. I'm much more graceful in the water than I ever was on land. Swimming is a team sport than relies mostly on the individual. Doing laps is a great time to think - the water muffles out sound and acts almost like white-noise, which is conducive to relaxation (to me, at least). Plus, it's low-impact, which is great for my bad knees and joints in general.

Hopefully, I'll keep up with this. Why did I decide to get off my lazy ass and start this now? Couple of reasons - I've never lost the "baby-weight" I gained AFTER Ginny was born, and while I'm not terribly unhappy with my weight, I'd like to get it down a bit. I've just generally been feeling out of shape, too, and would like to fix that. Finally, I've been in a generally rotten mood for the past few months, and I'd like to try exercise as a natural anti-depressant rather than messing with my meds.

So, you might hear groaning, but hopefully the good bits will outweigh the bad bits. I know if I keep this up, the bad bits will get a bit less each day. Wish me luck.

GRRR STOMP STOMP with bonus weird dreams!

2008-03-31T09:02:00.003-05:00

I've been in a grumpy mood for the past few days. What with the boy being sick enough to be home from school on Friday, but not sick enough to want to be home, and my allergies acting up, I've been snapping at anything and everything. Kieran was whiny all weekend, because he missed a field trip on Friday that he had been looking forward to. Ginny would scream and get all possessive if I tried to do anything with him, and Andy wasn't feeling great either. Gotta love that heavy "snow" of yellow pollen that hits us this time of year. Thick enough that I have to use my wipers first thing in the morning in order to see out my windscreen.

Okay. Enough kvetching. Time for some weird dreams. Last night, I had some very vivid dreams. I don't often remember my dreams, but last night I did, maybe because I wasn't sleeping very well (I was in Ginny's room, because SHE wasn't sleeping well). One dream was about how Andy got me up late this morning (there isn't an alarm clock in Ginny's room) because he decided I was sick, and although I was actually sick I still had to go to work but now I had to rush around and try to get ready in 5 minutes, including washing my hair (which takes a good 15 minutes), all the while feeling like crap. Kind of a typical stress dream, and not totally out there as Andy is a heavy sleeper and doesn't always wake up to the alarm, and I'm not feeling 100%. So, I see where this dream came from.

The other dream I remember was very weird, and kind of disturbing. I was on death row (for what, I don't know, and I don't even know if I was actually guilty of whatever it was I was there for). They had me go through all kinds of tests and things, including a TB test. WTF? They were going to execute me - why did I need a TB test? But apparently my test was positive, so there was discussion about whether they could go through with it, since I was "sick." Also, normally they made people wear these white cloth bands as clothes (think of that girl from "The Fifth Element") but because I had done laundry, I could wear my own clothes. Then I had to go across the street to the Chinese men's dorm to their laundry/vending machine room to wash the spaghetti sauce off my breast pump. When I came back, two of the guards asked me to have a beer with them while waiting to take me to the execution chamber. They were very nice to me, and sorry to see me go. That's when Andy came in to get me up, on time.

What the hell was my brain thinking?? I'm not sure I really want to know.