Watching my friends deal with their toddler has helped the boy and I realize that we are so on the same page when it comes to how we are going to raise our kids, if we ever have any. I can’t judge my friends for what they are doing, as they are doing what they feel is best for them, but it’s not the way I would want to do it. After a visit with them, or a day after work as the boy works with both parents, we both end up talking about what we would do different.
I love my friends and I love their kid, I just don’t agree with what they are doing. A lot of times it seems that they are just creating more problems and stress on themselves, which they end up taking out on other things. Of course we could never tell them that they are wrong, or rather that we feel they are wrong, because unless they are physically hurting or emotionally abusing the kid, you just can’t. Everyone parents differently. Plus he’s a happy, highly energetic little boy. Their style just isn’t ours. And that’s ok. It’s been good for us because we can talk about what we would do differently and it’s helped us see that we’re completely on the same page.
Their parenting style is attachment parenting. This means that the kid sleeps in their bed, is pretty much in mom’s arms (or dad when he’s home), breast fed for a while (which I agree with), and picked up whenever he cries, no matter the reason. They don’t want him to feel alone or unloved. And there lies our problem because they pick him up and cuddle and kiss no matter why he’s crying. He can be upset because he fell or upset because he didn’t get his way and he’ll get coddled. I just don’t see how that’s good for a kid. I was there the other day, doing my laundry as our washer was having drain issues. I was playing with the kid like I normally do- basically watching him run around and stuff. At one point in time, he was going after something he wasn’t supposed to. We all said no, you can’t have that. He got upset, started to pout and cry, and mom picked him up and soothed him, thus teaching that whenever he doesn’t get his way, he can just cry and all will be fine. That just doesn’t work for me. At all. (He’s 18 months old and understands no and all that perfectly. Plus he knows what he’s doing.) They just can’t stand to see him cry. They feel that if they let him cry, he’ll feel unloved. From a different point of view that just seems to be spoiling the kid and starting to turn him into a brat who will always get his way.
It’s frustrating to see that and knowing that you can’t say or do anything about that. Mom already gets crap from other people for the way she does things. We can’t add on to the pile, even though we agree with the others. It wouldn’t be right. So we don’t say anything to them and just talk about it afterwards.
And then there’s the abandonment issue. Mom’s sister lives with them for now, and she’s used as a babysitter for short periods of time as she lives with them. They won’t let anyone else watch the kid though, as they don’t want anyone else to have to deal with him. (Their words.) They also feel that if he’s asleep or whatever and wakes up and realizes that mom and dad aren’t there, he’ll feel abandoned and be traumatized forever and feel unloved. (Also their words. We asked about that one night when offering to baby-sit.They don’t trust anyone but themselves.) Doesn’t matter if they come back. To me, that just doesn’t seem right. It’s a little extreme, in my opinion. We’ve offered to baby-sit tons of times. He knows us well and loves playing with us. We end up watching him half the time at the restaurant or at their house but they won’t leave him and go out because they don’t want us to deal with his tantrums. It’s frustrating to see that, because they need breaks but they won’t give it to themselves because they don’t want to burden anyone else. They’re afraid to let go, even for just a little bit.
I hate feeling like I’m attacking someone for doing things differently than I would. It’s just that their style is nowhere near what ours would be. And it’s hard to deal with sometimes, especially when they complain about things that could be dealt with so differently, but they won’t because they’re afraid of messing up their kid. I know it’s hard being a parent, harder than I know at the moment. But it’s hard being a friend too and watching them.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Queens of the Castle and other things
The kitties have taken over. They really do own us, and not the other way around. Gabby is the ultimate beggar, who just does not want to eat dry food. We’re trying, but she won’t eat it. We even took to putting some water/chicken broth in her dry food, microwaving it for a minute, and then refrigerating it, trying to make it like wet food. She likes that, and will eat it, but that’s as far as it goes. The kibble in her bowl stays, unless the Punk eats it. I’ve tried mixing it all up, but she eats around it. It’s not like her teeth can’t handle it- she just doesn’t want it. She likes to beg and have it spooned out as mush. (Tried spooning out the kibble- no go.) We figure one weekend we’ll just give her nothing but kibble and she’ll be so hungry she’ll have to eat. But she’ll meow us to death in the process. (I never thought it was possible until I heard this one. Sheesh. I swear she has some Siamese in her.) Plus she also runs right under our feet while we’re in the kitchen. If we’re in bed and she’s hungry, she just sticks her nose in our faces and purrs. Then whines. Then jumps and flips and tries to get us up. Punk will eventually join in a few hours later, until one of us finally gets up and gives them what they want.
Punk is the normal one, sort of, and just watches Gabby and makes sure she’s ok. She is also a beggar, but not nearly as bad as Gabby. Though when she doesn’t get her tuna, oy. We ran out this weekend and I had to go to the store yesterday for some. I was hit up as soon as I walked in the door. She just knew I had some tuna. That cat and her tuna. She’ll never leave us, unless she finds some other shmuck to feed her that. All I have to do is rattle food in her bowl and she comes running. She will stop whatever she is doing and run for the food. It’s so funny.
Gabby has started exploring more. She’s getting over her fear of heights and climbed the clothes in the closet the other day. Her only problem was figuring out how to get back down. That took a good 20 minutes and a lot of me just watching and laughing. She eventually crawled halfway down the clothes and fell. Not too graceful but it works.
She is also the lump on my side of the bed. The boy gets Pumpkin on his side, all sprawled out, taking up the bottom corner so the boy has to sleep diagonal. I get Gabby, curled up right next to me, in between my legs, or in a recent development, on top of my legs. That makes for an interesting night. She just moves with me.
Gabby hasn’t peed in the bed since I put the litter box upstairs. The boy is still against it, but it gets used, and that’s all I need. I’ve moved it to the corner now, where it’s less conspicuous.
Double vet visit this Friday for the kitties. Gabby needs her rabies, boosters, and roundworm. Punk needs the rabies. Oh it’s going to be fun with the both of them. I think I’m making the boy come with me. He’s going to be on poo duty anyway- the attempt to bring a fecal sample. Punk hates the car, Gabby falls asleep. It will be interesting. Thankfully it’s 5 minutes away. Still enough for Punk to flip the hell out.
In non-kitty news, our washer drain is clogged up. (That was a fun discovery. Nothing like wet clothes with soapy residue and water gushing everywhere.) There’s some lovely looking sludge in the pipe. No draino can be used. We called a plumber, as stoppage is covered by the blessed home warranty and he tried a bit but couldn’t unclog it. It seems that the clean out valve for the pipes in our house is in the front and our washer is in the back. So we need one of those valves installed in the back so he can go up the other way in the pipe in order to clear it all out. Makes sense but sounds like a pain and $$. But we need to do it. Urgh. We’re trying a low-tech solution tonight that he said might work, called a blow out bag, It shoots a stream of high pressure water through the pipe, so we’ll see. Might just be another mess. Who knows. I’m willing to try anything right now to do laundry. (Spent Saturday at a friend’s house doing laundry and while I know they don’t mind, I don’t want to have to do it all the time. Plus being able to do laundry when I just need to is better.) What is it with us and washer/dryer issues? I mean come on!
As to why it clogged, it seems that the connections weren’t used for a while, as we had to buy new faucets for the water hookups. So dust and dirt got into the pipe and after enough uses, everything got wet and just congealed and stuff. Ick.
The Texas book festival is this weekend. I’m still debating on whether I’m going to make it up early enough to see Barack Obama speak. He’s there at 10am but you need to go get wristbands at 8am and Friday night is the official CD release party for Cienfuegos, the awesome Cuban jazz band that plays at Cipollina every Friday. That means a late night of drinking and stuff. But I also plan to go see Amy Sedaris speak about her new book and that’s not until 2. Sadly, she’s scheduled against Frank McCourt, the only other major author I wanted to see. Oh well.
Punk is the normal one, sort of, and just watches Gabby and makes sure she’s ok. She is also a beggar, but not nearly as bad as Gabby. Though when she doesn’t get her tuna, oy. We ran out this weekend and I had to go to the store yesterday for some. I was hit up as soon as I walked in the door. She just knew I had some tuna. That cat and her tuna. She’ll never leave us, unless she finds some other shmuck to feed her that. All I have to do is rattle food in her bowl and she comes running. She will stop whatever she is doing and run for the food. It’s so funny.
Gabby has started exploring more. She’s getting over her fear of heights and climbed the clothes in the closet the other day. Her only problem was figuring out how to get back down. That took a good 20 minutes and a lot of me just watching and laughing. She eventually crawled halfway down the clothes and fell. Not too graceful but it works.
She is also the lump on my side of the bed. The boy gets Pumpkin on his side, all sprawled out, taking up the bottom corner so the boy has to sleep diagonal. I get Gabby, curled up right next to me, in between my legs, or in a recent development, on top of my legs. That makes for an interesting night. She just moves with me.
Gabby hasn’t peed in the bed since I put the litter box upstairs. The boy is still against it, but it gets used, and that’s all I need. I’ve moved it to the corner now, where it’s less conspicuous.
Double vet visit this Friday for the kitties. Gabby needs her rabies, boosters, and roundworm. Punk needs the rabies. Oh it’s going to be fun with the both of them. I think I’m making the boy come with me. He’s going to be on poo duty anyway- the attempt to bring a fecal sample. Punk hates the car, Gabby falls asleep. It will be interesting. Thankfully it’s 5 minutes away. Still enough for Punk to flip the hell out.
In non-kitty news, our washer drain is clogged up. (That was a fun discovery. Nothing like wet clothes with soapy residue and water gushing everywhere.) There’s some lovely looking sludge in the pipe. No draino can be used. We called a plumber, as stoppage is covered by the blessed home warranty and he tried a bit but couldn’t unclog it. It seems that the clean out valve for the pipes in our house is in the front and our washer is in the back. So we need one of those valves installed in the back so he can go up the other way in the pipe in order to clear it all out. Makes sense but sounds like a pain and $$. But we need to do it. Urgh. We’re trying a low-tech solution tonight that he said might work, called a blow out bag, It shoots a stream of high pressure water through the pipe, so we’ll see. Might just be another mess. Who knows. I’m willing to try anything right now to do laundry. (Spent Saturday at a friend’s house doing laundry and while I know they don’t mind, I don’t want to have to do it all the time. Plus being able to do laundry when I just need to is better.) What is it with us and washer/dryer issues? I mean come on!
As to why it clogged, it seems that the connections weren’t used for a while, as we had to buy new faucets for the water hookups. So dust and dirt got into the pipe and after enough uses, everything got wet and just congealed and stuff. Ick.
The Texas book festival is this weekend. I’m still debating on whether I’m going to make it up early enough to see Barack Obama speak. He’s there at 10am but you need to go get wristbands at 8am and Friday night is the official CD release party for Cienfuegos, the awesome Cuban jazz band that plays at Cipollina every Friday. That means a late night of drinking and stuff. But I also plan to go see Amy Sedaris speak about her new book and that’s not until 2. Sadly, she’s scheduled against Frank McCourt, the only other major author I wanted to see. Oh well.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Kitty Fun
The girls are getting along, sort of. Pumpkin has accepted Gabby. She's the annoying little sister that needs a beatdown every once in a while. Punk will start licking Gabby but after Gabby has had enough, it turns to biting and Gabby squeals. But she can hold her own. Half the time Gabby starts the fighting anways. It's crazy. They run, fight, wrestle, and sleep. Punk has to keep watch over Gabby so she's never too far away. It's funny. She stays about 10 feet away but never that close. Gabby's more of a cuddler than Punk. She's currently on my chest trying to attack the computer, purring away.
Haven't done much recently except to figure out the house. What works, what doesn't. Shop for stuff we need but never knew we needed, and stuff that that we don't really need but looks so pretty. Crazy.
Watching Walk The Line right now. Crazy good movie. Reese deserved that Oscar but Joaquin got robbed. He's so freakin' good. And Ginnifer Goodwin- fantastic job as the first wife.
Getting hard to type with one hand as Gabby needs to be touched. So later.
Arghhhh! Someone peed in the bed this morning and it wasn't me! I was peed on! Yes, I was still in the bed when the pee happened. I was trying to go back to sleep but I felt wet and voila, pee. Gabby had been trying to get me up for an hour and Punk just goes along. Primary suspect is Gabby as she wanted me to get up- she was hungry. She walks all over me, pokes me, and generally annoys until I or the boy gets up to feed. Argh. But it could also be the Punk marking her territory as Gabby sleeps in the spot where the pee was- by my knees. Punk used to sleep on the corner of the bed but won't because of Gabby. We've tried to put her on the bed and let her know we want her there but she's a stubborn one. So gahhhhh. First pee accident ever. I'm not happy.
Haven't done much recently except to figure out the house. What works, what doesn't. Shop for stuff we need but never knew we needed, and stuff that that we don't really need but looks so pretty. Crazy.
Watching Walk The Line right now. Crazy good movie. Reese deserved that Oscar but Joaquin got robbed. He's so freakin' good. And Ginnifer Goodwin- fantastic job as the first wife.
Getting hard to type with one hand as Gabby needs to be touched. So later.
Arghhhh! Someone peed in the bed this morning and it wasn't me! I was peed on! Yes, I was still in the bed when the pee happened. I was trying to go back to sleep but I felt wet and voila, pee. Gabby had been trying to get me up for an hour and Punk just goes along. Primary suspect is Gabby as she wanted me to get up- she was hungry. She walks all over me, pokes me, and generally annoys until I or the boy gets up to feed. Argh. But it could also be the Punk marking her territory as Gabby sleeps in the spot where the pee was- by my knees. Punk used to sleep on the corner of the bed but won't because of Gabby. We've tried to put her on the bed and let her know we want her there but she's a stubborn one. So gahhhhh. First pee accident ever. I'm not happy.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Meet the newest member of our family
This is Gabby.
I got suckered in to falling for this little one while at the Pet store today looking for a pet door for our other one. We've been talking about another cat for a while and so, this happened. She was adopted from Paw Match and was rescued from a kill shelter 1 day before she was to be put down. Her brother and sister were adopted yesterday. I didn't mean to end up with a girl but voila. She cuddled. I melted. She meowed, I said how much. And thus, we have a baby, who looks amazingly like our other one, except less stripes. Sigh. I'm such a sucker for kittens.
They said she was 3months but she looks so tiny. She's spayed though and has had all her shots. plus we have 2 free vet visits. Yay. Cost was about what a vet visit would be and the money goes back to rescuing more little ones so that's a happy thing. Good karma and all. She's only eating wet food right now but I plan to mix soon and get her on dry as wet poo stinks. Plus dry is easier to leave out.
She's extremely playful and a huge talker, thus the Gabby. It's the name given but I like it and it fits here. Oh my does she meow. Right now I'm in our guest room as we have to keep the two separate and this one is not happy being left alone. We gave her a nice setup and everything but she cried and I can't deal with that. so i'm spending the night.
Pumpkin is currently sitting outside the door. She's not exactly thrilled with the newcomer but she doesn't hate her. No fluffed up tail or yowl. Just hiss, growl, and the going after the kitten. poor Gabby just rolls over and surrenders. So we have to keep them apart. We've done some supervised visits but Pumpkin does not like it. Gabby is fine. She loves roaming. Gabby is encroaching on Pumpkin's territory and punk does not like it one bit. Any advice to help them get along would be so wonderful.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
House Pictures
Ok, as promised, here are pics of the house. Doesn't look like two stories from the front really. It's a great house. Well, except for the ceiling lights dying today in the living room. We'll figure it out eventually, the joys of owning a house. Anyway, here they are.
Front of the house. The tree provides great shade. Four bedrooms, big kitchen, living room, 2 baths, 1 converted garage. Yeah, more than enough room for us and then some.
Different view of the front of the house. Yeah, that last right window used to be a garage but was converted into a room. It's not bad, but I wouldn't mind a garage. But hey, an extra room.
My beautiful kitchen. It's so lovely. There's a huge black fridge on the right now, next to the cabinets. Yeah, I know, doesn't match the other white appliances but it's nice having something that you don't have to clean constantly. Sink is some sort of PVC that looks porcelein. It rocks.
The cement slab. Oh yeah. There's a basketball pole but no hoop. We might use the slab for a party area or a gazebo or something like that. Right now it's full of the boy's plants.
Back of the house. Lovely French doors that go to the kitchen and the other door goes to the laundry room and then straight to the converted garage.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Austin City Limitis Festival
Friday:
Guster- Total college band but good show.
Gnarls Barkley- Interesting. Funky outfits. Fun to watch. Had a lot of fun.
Los Lonely Boys- Great jam show, fun to watch
Van Morrison- sound was iffy but a good show all around. He's getting upthere. Easy decision over John Mayer (who I heard was fantastic) who plays in Austin all the time. I mean when do you hear him ever touring?
Saturday
The Shins- Meh.
Ben Kweller- What a trooper. He started late because he got a double nose bleed. Speculation is either too much nose candy or allergies. Or maybe even a combo of both. Last I heard, he had a broken nose somehow. Ouch. Anyway, he was still bleeding when he got to the stage. He splattered all over hisguitar and used several towels to wipe up. He tried using a tampon to plug his nose but it fell out- expanded too much. His last song was a piano song and you could see the drops on the white keys. He had to stop after 5 songs as he had lost quite a bit of blood and it was more serious than anything. But he tried, and we gave him credit for that.
Aimee Mann
The String Cheese Incident- Fantastic performance, wacky cow suit. Just afun show.
Willie Nelson- Ah Willie. He's back to playing guitar after surgery for carpal tunnel. He's just amazing. Plus he sang 2 new songs, which is a rarity. Willie was where it was at.
What we missed: The Raconteurs, Massive Attack, TV on the Radio, Nada Surf. Not enough time to see everything. We would have gone to the Raconteurs but we wanted to see String Cheese and also get in for a good spot for Willie. We were pretty close up.
Sunday
Randy Rogers Band- Really great show. One to watch for bigger and better things.
Jack Ingram- Caught part of it before heading to Ween.
Ween- Good performance. Hadn't really heard much of their music but I enjoyed their performance.
Part of Matisiyahu- Still don't understand his appeal. Jewish rap set to
reggae music? Not my style really. But the crowd did love him and he came out with his baby afterwards.
The Flaming Lips- Oh my god. What a show. They should have been the closingact. Just amazing. The set was colorful and fun. Band members dressed as Superheroes (Captain America, Spaceghost, Batman, Wonder Woman). To one side of the stage they had dancing Santas; on the other, dancing Aliens that looked a bit like elves. A giant, blow-up spaceman, alien, and Santa Claus. The lead singer started off the show in a giant bubble, being passed among the crowd to the sounds of the finale to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Then once out of the bubble, air cannons started shooting confetti and string into the crowd, along with a few rolls of toilet paper. They also launched giant balloons. Crowd participation was an absolute must. The lead singer also made fun of Ben Kweller a bit. He poured fake blood all over his face
and played a song with it dripping down and asked for tampons and all. Just great. It was just a fantastic and inspirational show. They should have closed the festival. (Chose this over Ben Harper. Clearly the better choice. G Love and Special Sauce was playing in the interim at another stage but we had a good spot and didn't want to give it up. Space was at a premium and if you got a decent spot, you camped and spread your stuff out.)
Tom Petty- What can I say? It was Tom Petty. He still puts on a great show. His set was interrupted by rain- it poured and threatened to thunder and lightening, but that stayed off in the distance. Thankfully, I had come prepared with an umbrella and a rain jacket. People were using chairs, tarps, blankets, whatever they could find to keep them somewhat dry. You weren't going to stay dry at all, but it was better than nothing. He came back on when the rain stopped, but they had turned the sound down. It was hard to hear so the crowd was much more subdued than before the rain delay. During "Learning to Fly" the crowd singalong was very quiet. We just
wanted to hear Tom. It really came on during the encore though. I guess they said
to hell with the noise issues and just let it flow. It was a great show and a great weekend.
The experience- a crazy crowd. 60,000 people. Zilker park is huge and it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, when you're really in downtown. The skyline makes the perfect background and it's easy to imagine how the Rolling Stones are going to look like when they play in October.
There were 7 stages. Everything was scheduled to the minute, so once one performer on a nearby stage stopped, the performer on the other stage would start. You didn't go over your time limit. They would cut you off. It was really well-scheduled. The 2 main schedules were on opposite ends of the park. This helped as they usually had simultaneous performances. You're not going to see everything though. No way. If you want to see shows one right after another, be prepared to miss the beginning of sets. It's easier to just pass by, listen for a song, and head on to the next show and set up. There's usually an hour in between sets on the main stages, 40 minutes
for the smaller ones.
You were allowed to bring a backpack, 2 unopened water bottles, a soft sided cooler with ice, collapsible chairs, and basics like sunscreen, painkillers, tissue and stuff like that. No outside food or drinks, but a lot got snuck in anyway by the 3 day pass holders. They searched the ticket holders more. They just glanced at my pack. You could get away with bringing in re-used water bottles by filling them up and not drinking out of them until you got through the gates. They did have several water stations where people could fill up their nalgenes and camelbacks.
Food- can't bring any in, or at least look like it. You can sneak it but be crafty by hiding it in chairs or under ice in coolers, or wrapped in a blanket. Just be ready to throw it out if caught. There is an area for food, and there are many different vendors with lots of choices, the cheapest being $3 and the most expensive at $8. Just remember that there will be lines at main meal times. We made the mistake of going around 5:30pm before String Cheese. Took us 45 minutes to get bratwurst. Forget about going from vendor to vendor. You pick a line and you stay. (Wurst was really good though. Got a decent amount for your money.) I managed to go get food before Flaming Lips in half an hour. 1 person navigating the crowds without
gear is easy. It was quick getting out, a lot harder getting in.
It was HOT. Not as hot as last year, but HOT. Mid 90s hot. That meant lotsof sunscreen and few clothes. I still got sunburned with all my SPF 40 but that's par for the course for me. (I have tan lines on my tan lines.) Towels to wipe off the sweat were pretty much mandatory and they had misting areas for a quick cool-down. You could also use your umbrella for shade, which many people did.
Once you trek to the stage for whatever performance, you weave through the camped masses to find your own little patch of grass. People stake out their spots and it's hard to get in and out without stepping on anyone or anything. Just go through and apologize a lot as you go by people and you should be ok. Ask before stepping on a blanket, some people got a little too protective. Don't just step on people and walk off. (That happened a lot more than I care to think about. Ouch.) Once you find a spot you can deal with, spread out your blankets and/or chairs and sit. Make your space. People will crowd and walk through your area. You can try to stop the flow but it's nearly impossible. Just relax. You're there. Now if you need to get up and leave your spot for any reason, take a careful look at your surroundings. Lots of large groups bring flags so they can be easily seen inthe crowd. It's a good idea to try to situate yourself next to one so you can at least have an idea of where you are trying to get to. If you bring a flag, be creative. You need to stand out. Saw too many Mexican flags(seriously, I think I saw 5, too many.) but saw a lot of fun ones like a jalepeno, huge black mustache, fleur de lys, Whataburger flag, British
flag, things like that. You want to stand out. Think about bringing some glow sticks to put on at night because it's hard to see your flags in the dark. Also, in front of the sound booth, each area is divided in 2 so remember which side you are on. So, if you leave, it's much easier to get out than it is to get back in. Going out, you see your destination and it doesn't seem as crowded. Coming back, you are fighting everyone that is moving in closer looking for their spot. Plus you are also fighting those already established. Be polite. It's doable but not very fun. Most people are friendly though and will smile and make small talk. We acknowledged the fact that it takes 20 minutes to go a few feet. Seriously. If you want to be up front, get there early and don't plan on moving all day.
Bring only what you need. We brought 2 backpacks the first day that were stuffed. By Sunday, we brought chairs because it was better. Next time, we're doing 1 backpack and chairs. No cooler. It would have been nice and much better to sneak beer in with, (tear a bit of lining and stick the beer in there. Helps if it's the same brand being sold.) but it's not necessary.
There are tons of tricks, just be careful.
As for smoking, do what you want. Everyone was smoking and out in the open. Saw lots of pipes and jounts. Brazen but accepted. Just be cool, share, and be careful.
It's totally worth it and can't wait for next year.
Guster- Total college band but good show.
Gnarls Barkley- Interesting. Funky outfits. Fun to watch. Had a lot of fun.
Los Lonely Boys- Great jam show, fun to watch
Van Morrison- sound was iffy but a good show all around. He's getting upthere. Easy decision over John Mayer (who I heard was fantastic) who plays in Austin all the time. I mean when do you hear him ever touring?
Saturday
The Shins- Meh.
Ben Kweller- What a trooper. He started late because he got a double nose bleed. Speculation is either too much nose candy or allergies. Or maybe even a combo of both. Last I heard, he had a broken nose somehow. Ouch. Anyway, he was still bleeding when he got to the stage. He splattered all over hisguitar and used several towels to wipe up. He tried using a tampon to plug his nose but it fell out- expanded too much. His last song was a piano song and you could see the drops on the white keys. He had to stop after 5 songs as he had lost quite a bit of blood and it was more serious than anything. But he tried, and we gave him credit for that.
Aimee Mann
The String Cheese Incident- Fantastic performance, wacky cow suit. Just afun show.
Willie Nelson- Ah Willie. He's back to playing guitar after surgery for carpal tunnel. He's just amazing. Plus he sang 2 new songs, which is a rarity. Willie was where it was at.
What we missed: The Raconteurs, Massive Attack, TV on the Radio, Nada Surf. Not enough time to see everything. We would have gone to the Raconteurs but we wanted to see String Cheese and also get in for a good spot for Willie. We were pretty close up.
Sunday
Randy Rogers Band- Really great show. One to watch for bigger and better things.
Jack Ingram- Caught part of it before heading to Ween.
Ween- Good performance. Hadn't really heard much of their music but I enjoyed their performance.
Part of Matisiyahu- Still don't understand his appeal. Jewish rap set to
reggae music? Not my style really. But the crowd did love him and he came out with his baby afterwards.
The Flaming Lips- Oh my god. What a show. They should have been the closingact. Just amazing. The set was colorful and fun. Band members dressed as Superheroes (Captain America, Spaceghost, Batman, Wonder Woman). To one side of the stage they had dancing Santas; on the other, dancing Aliens that looked a bit like elves. A giant, blow-up spaceman, alien, and Santa Claus. The lead singer started off the show in a giant bubble, being passed among the crowd to the sounds of the finale to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Then once out of the bubble, air cannons started shooting confetti and string into the crowd, along with a few rolls of toilet paper. They also launched giant balloons. Crowd participation was an absolute must. The lead singer also made fun of Ben Kweller a bit. He poured fake blood all over his face
and played a song with it dripping down and asked for tampons and all. Just great. It was just a fantastic and inspirational show. They should have closed the festival. (Chose this over Ben Harper. Clearly the better choice. G Love and Special Sauce was playing in the interim at another stage but we had a good spot and didn't want to give it up. Space was at a premium and if you got a decent spot, you camped and spread your stuff out.)
Tom Petty- What can I say? It was Tom Petty. He still puts on a great show. His set was interrupted by rain- it poured and threatened to thunder and lightening, but that stayed off in the distance. Thankfully, I had come prepared with an umbrella and a rain jacket. People were using chairs, tarps, blankets, whatever they could find to keep them somewhat dry. You weren't going to stay dry at all, but it was better than nothing. He came back on when the rain stopped, but they had turned the sound down. It was hard to hear so the crowd was much more subdued than before the rain delay. During "Learning to Fly" the crowd singalong was very quiet. We just
wanted to hear Tom. It really came on during the encore though. I guess they said
to hell with the noise issues and just let it flow. It was a great show and a great weekend.
The experience- a crazy crowd. 60,000 people. Zilker park is huge and it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, when you're really in downtown. The skyline makes the perfect background and it's easy to imagine how the Rolling Stones are going to look like when they play in October.
There were 7 stages. Everything was scheduled to the minute, so once one performer on a nearby stage stopped, the performer on the other stage would start. You didn't go over your time limit. They would cut you off. It was really well-scheduled. The 2 main schedules were on opposite ends of the park. This helped as they usually had simultaneous performances. You're not going to see everything though. No way. If you want to see shows one right after another, be prepared to miss the beginning of sets. It's easier to just pass by, listen for a song, and head on to the next show and set up. There's usually an hour in between sets on the main stages, 40 minutes
for the smaller ones.
You were allowed to bring a backpack, 2 unopened water bottles, a soft sided cooler with ice, collapsible chairs, and basics like sunscreen, painkillers, tissue and stuff like that. No outside food or drinks, but a lot got snuck in anyway by the 3 day pass holders. They searched the ticket holders more. They just glanced at my pack. You could get away with bringing in re-used water bottles by filling them up and not drinking out of them until you got through the gates. They did have several water stations where people could fill up their nalgenes and camelbacks.
Food- can't bring any in, or at least look like it. You can sneak it but be crafty by hiding it in chairs or under ice in coolers, or wrapped in a blanket. Just be ready to throw it out if caught. There is an area for food, and there are many different vendors with lots of choices, the cheapest being $3 and the most expensive at $8. Just remember that there will be lines at main meal times. We made the mistake of going around 5:30pm before String Cheese. Took us 45 minutes to get bratwurst. Forget about going from vendor to vendor. You pick a line and you stay. (Wurst was really good though. Got a decent amount for your money.) I managed to go get food before Flaming Lips in half an hour. 1 person navigating the crowds without
gear is easy. It was quick getting out, a lot harder getting in.
It was HOT. Not as hot as last year, but HOT. Mid 90s hot. That meant lotsof sunscreen and few clothes. I still got sunburned with all my SPF 40 but that's par for the course for me. (I have tan lines on my tan lines.) Towels to wipe off the sweat were pretty much mandatory and they had misting areas for a quick cool-down. You could also use your umbrella for shade, which many people did.
Once you trek to the stage for whatever performance, you weave through the camped masses to find your own little patch of grass. People stake out their spots and it's hard to get in and out without stepping on anyone or anything. Just go through and apologize a lot as you go by people and you should be ok. Ask before stepping on a blanket, some people got a little too protective. Don't just step on people and walk off. (That happened a lot more than I care to think about. Ouch.) Once you find a spot you can deal with, spread out your blankets and/or chairs and sit. Make your space. People will crowd and walk through your area. You can try to stop the flow but it's nearly impossible. Just relax. You're there. Now if you need to get up and leave your spot for any reason, take a careful look at your surroundings. Lots of large groups bring flags so they can be easily seen inthe crowd. It's a good idea to try to situate yourself next to one so you can at least have an idea of where you are trying to get to. If you bring a flag, be creative. You need to stand out. Saw too many Mexican flags(seriously, I think I saw 5, too many.) but saw a lot of fun ones like a jalepeno, huge black mustache, fleur de lys, Whataburger flag, British
flag, things like that. You want to stand out. Think about bringing some glow sticks to put on at night because it's hard to see your flags in the dark. Also, in front of the sound booth, each area is divided in 2 so remember which side you are on. So, if you leave, it's much easier to get out than it is to get back in. Going out, you see your destination and it doesn't seem as crowded. Coming back, you are fighting everyone that is moving in closer looking for their spot. Plus you are also fighting those already established. Be polite. It's doable but not very fun. Most people are friendly though and will smile and make small talk. We acknowledged the fact that it takes 20 minutes to go a few feet. Seriously. If you want to be up front, get there early and don't plan on moving all day.
Bring only what you need. We brought 2 backpacks the first day that were stuffed. By Sunday, we brought chairs because it was better. Next time, we're doing 1 backpack and chairs. No cooler. It would have been nice and much better to sneak beer in with, (tear a bit of lining and stick the beer in there. Helps if it's the same brand being sold.) but it's not necessary.
There are tons of tricks, just be careful.
As for smoking, do what you want. Everyone was smoking and out in the open. Saw lots of pipes and jounts. Brazen but accepted. Just be cool, share, and be careful.
It's totally worth it and can't wait for next year.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Update and all that
So we bought a house. It's ours. We're homeowners. I still can't believe it. It's such a weird feeling. We closed August 28. It was insane. We didn't know when we were closing until 2 hours before. I was a ball of stress. I hadn't slept or eaten well in days. Ugh. Stupid loan company hadn't gotten all the papers in time. Every thing was signed off on and everything was fine but they hadn't processed it in time, even though they had 3 freakin' days. I mean sheesh people. But they finally sent it over and we signed out lives away.
So we started moving that night. We brought a load of stuff over and spent the night. We've been moving ever since. Brought the cat over the next night. Oh my god, was she ever traumatized. First of all, she hates car rides and they usually mean the vet. So so she was freaked out to the max, poor thing. She was a mess. Took her over a week to adjust. She's ok now.
So anyway, we moved. Until Sunday, everything was just boxes and a general mess. We moved ourselves and that is something we will never ever do again. Next time we pay someone. That was exhausting. But we managed to organize this weekend and now the house looks like an actual house. It's amazing. And all this space. I do love owning a house.
More later when I'm not sick and have actual energy.
So we started moving that night. We brought a load of stuff over and spent the night. We've been moving ever since. Brought the cat over the next night. Oh my god, was she ever traumatized. First of all, she hates car rides and they usually mean the vet. So so she was freaked out to the max, poor thing. She was a mess. Took her over a week to adjust. She's ok now.
So anyway, we moved. Until Sunday, everything was just boxes and a general mess. We moved ourselves and that is something we will never ever do again. Next time we pay someone. That was exhausting. But we managed to organize this weekend and now the house looks like an actual house. It's amazing. And all this space. I do love owning a house.
More later when I'm not sick and have actual energy.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
BACKPATTERS DOWN (again)
We're changing servers this time, as our contract with the old one has expired and since they suck, we do not wish to renew. But of course they are making it as complicated as possible so it may be a few days until everything is back up. (They won't release the domain and all that fun stuff.) The new server people are being so helpful.
Backpatters who need to congregate can find other members at UKTrails Forum He's graciously let us have some space in his forum until we get back online.
Backpatters who need to congregate can find other members at UKTrails Forum He's graciously let us have some space in his forum until we get back online.
Monday, August 21, 2006
How much have you changed in 10 years?
| You've Changed 56% in 10 Years |
 You've done a good job changing with the times, but deep down, you're still the same person. You're clothes, job, and friends may have changed some - but it hasn't changed you. |
Waiting
All this waiting. Waiting for the foundation to be inspected. (There are minor cracks, boy wants inspection to be safe. Understandable but !!!) Waiting to make sure loan goes through, which it should, as soon as boy's boss gets back from vacation so they can do employement verification! Waiting for repairs on the house to be made.
Sigh. Hate this waiting.
If all goes well, we should be closing really soon. Which is nuts. But there ya go.
I just don't wait to wait to know. Buying a house takes too long, and even this wasn't very long according to friends. I want it all NOW!
Sigh. Hate this waiting.
If all goes well, we should be closing really soon. Which is nuts. But there ya go.
I just don't wait to wait to know. Buying a house takes too long, and even this wasn't very long according to friends. I want it all NOW!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
This buying a house thing
Oh my freakin' god. I think I may just kill someone. Don't know who yet but the boy is in high contention for never getting off his ass and getting any credit. (But I tried sez he. Yeah, applying to 2 credit cards 3 years ago isn't trying. argh.)
So we need 3 letters of credit. Great. His name is on 3 accounts. The rent, car insurance, and cell phone. Rent and car are paid on time, all the time. Early even. The cell phone is his bill. Can you see where I'm going with this? Yeah. Never really paid on time. Hell, the bill still has our freakin' Alexandria address on it and the numbers are still VA #s as he has NEVER BOTHERED TO CHANGE THEM! I'm not the primary on the bill. That's him. And this may be holding us back on a really good loan.
I added him to the electric account and got a letter but the letter only has my name on it as I'm the main account holder and he's just the secondary contact. We can add him to the letter easily but I don't know... I also added him to cable and requested a letter but I don't know what's going on with that. He's supposed to call the cell phone company today to try so we'll see. (He was supposed to do this 2 days ago but you know...)
And then there's the inspection. Nothing hugely wrong with the house, just a lot of minor safety issues. Basically the contractors were cheap and did a crappy remodel job. We've requested repairs to code and I'm waiting on a response. Argh. All this freakin' waiting. I'm going to go crazy. I'm the one doing all the damn work on this as usual.
Buying a house sucks. I'm sure the end product is worth it, but the process, not so much.
UPDATE: Just received word from the sellers- will repair most of it and the 2 things they won't repair, they will give us money for! Yay! One down, one to go...
So we need 3 letters of credit. Great. His name is on 3 accounts. The rent, car insurance, and cell phone. Rent and car are paid on time, all the time. Early even. The cell phone is his bill. Can you see where I'm going with this? Yeah. Never really paid on time. Hell, the bill still has our freakin' Alexandria address on it and the numbers are still VA #s as he has NEVER BOTHERED TO CHANGE THEM! I'm not the primary on the bill. That's him. And this may be holding us back on a really good loan.
I added him to the electric account and got a letter but the letter only has my name on it as I'm the main account holder and he's just the secondary contact. We can add him to the letter easily but I don't know... I also added him to cable and requested a letter but I don't know what's going on with that. He's supposed to call the cell phone company today to try so we'll see. (He was supposed to do this 2 days ago but you know...)
And then there's the inspection. Nothing hugely wrong with the house, just a lot of minor safety issues. Basically the contractors were cheap and did a crappy remodel job. We've requested repairs to code and I'm waiting on a response. Argh. All this freakin' waiting. I'm going to go crazy. I'm the one doing all the damn work on this as usual.
Buying a house sucks. I'm sure the end product is worth it, but the process, not so much.
UPDATE: Just received word from the sellers- will repair most of it and the 2 things they won't repair, they will give us money for! Yay! One down, one to go...
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Anyway, while I'm working on the subway post, random stuff.
House is almost to closing. Yikes I know.
AC replaced. Better not be stolen again.
Work is crazy busy.
Went out on Friday night again, rendering me useless again on Saturday. Oh well. It was fun.
Bought a laptop on Sunday as our hard drive is well and truly fucked. It's a hardware problem and I don't know how to solve that as of yet. I'm trying to figure it out though. I guess a new hard drive is in the cards... oh well. At least we have a computer right now. Computers are good. And a scanner! Yay!
House is almost to closing. Yikes I know.
AC replaced. Better not be stolen again.
Work is crazy busy.
Went out on Friday night again, rendering me useless again on Saturday. Oh well. It was fun.
Bought a laptop on Sunday as our hard drive is well and truly fucked. It's a hardware problem and I don't know how to solve that as of yet. I'm trying to figure it out though. I guess a new hard drive is in the cards... oh well. At least we have a computer right now. Computers are good. And a scanner! Yay!
Friday, August 11, 2006
I am such a dork
I was thinking earlier about how truly dorky I am. I nearly always have a book or magazine with me. I'm like Rory Gilmore that way. I carry around a large purse for the express purpose of being able to fit a book into it. Whenever I have a wait somewhere I whip out that book. I get my magazine reading done at the gym. Even when I go up to the boy's restaurant to eat, I bring some form of reading material. I'll put it down when there's people to talk to, but it's always there. People have come to expect that of me. The boy has become resigned to my bookwormness.
There are just books everywhere. Can't wait to have my own library!
There are just books everywhere. Can't wait to have my own library!
I Heart Google
Just when you think everything is lost, you do a google seach and you can find hope. I've found several data recovery programs that I can use to attempt to fix my computer. I just want the pictures really. If we can get the pictures back I'll be happy. If not, I'll live but *wahhhhh*.
Plus google is so much fun for finding out information on long lost friends, roomates, acquantainces, etc. I've been googling so many people lately, just to see if I can find out what their up to. Sometimes I leave them messages on blogs, sometimes I shoot an email. (Toastqueen if you manage to find this- I can't use myspace at work! tis blocked!) It does seem like a weird way of stalking but if the stuff is out there, espcially if you have a blog or something like that, it's fair game.
In other news, the AC unit from our new house was stolen. We haven't closed on the house yet so tecnically it still belongs to the investment company and they have to replace it. Oh darn, we're getting a new AC unit. The house is vacant so it's easy to see how someone got away with it. Apparantly, these things are full of copper and copper prices are sky high right now, so it's easy money. Thefts like this are rampant around Austin, so I guess it was only a matter of time. Thankfully the neighbor noticed it was gone and called the listing company. But still!
I feel like driving by the house every night now to make sure it doesn't happen again.
We had to delay the inspection because of it. Oh well. Everything else is still on track and we still look to probably close by the end of the month!
*Neighbor update* Came home on Tuesday and there was a lovely yellow notice on her door- landlord is evicting her for failure to pay rent on time/at all. Not shocking at all really. Our landlord isn't the kind of guy who would evict after one non-payment /really late payment so she had to have done this at least once before. So who knows what's going to happen. We were late on our rent this month but a) We told landlord the day after I found out I wasn't getting paid on time (motherfucking crappy ass company) b) I wanted to make sure my check cleared c) we ALWAYS pay on time, if not a bit early and d) It was a day late. Landlord, who is also our realtor, was ok with it as we are always good with the rent. It's not my fault my company can't pay me on time. Hopefully it's a one time thing though. Urgh. I HATE paying late. Hate.
Anyway, that's the fun for now.
Plus google is so much fun for finding out information on long lost friends, roomates, acquantainces, etc. I've been googling so many people lately, just to see if I can find out what their up to. Sometimes I leave them messages on blogs, sometimes I shoot an email. (Toastqueen if you manage to find this- I can't use myspace at work! tis blocked!) It does seem like a weird way of stalking but if the stuff is out there, espcially if you have a blog or something like that, it's fair game.
In other news, the AC unit from our new house was stolen. We haven't closed on the house yet so tecnically it still belongs to the investment company and they have to replace it. Oh darn, we're getting a new AC unit. The house is vacant so it's easy to see how someone got away with it. Apparantly, these things are full of copper and copper prices are sky high right now, so it's easy money. Thefts like this are rampant around Austin, so I guess it was only a matter of time. Thankfully the neighbor noticed it was gone and called the listing company. But still!
I feel like driving by the house every night now to make sure it doesn't happen again.
We had to delay the inspection because of it. Oh well. Everything else is still on track and we still look to probably close by the end of the month!
*Neighbor update* Came home on Tuesday and there was a lovely yellow notice on her door- landlord is evicting her for failure to pay rent on time/at all. Not shocking at all really. Our landlord isn't the kind of guy who would evict after one non-payment /really late payment so she had to have done this at least once before. So who knows what's going to happen. We were late on our rent this month but a) We told landlord the day after I found out I wasn't getting paid on time (motherfucking crappy ass company) b) I wanted to make sure my check cleared c) we ALWAYS pay on time, if not a bit early and d) It was a day late. Landlord, who is also our realtor, was ok with it as we are always good with the rent. It's not my fault my company can't pay me on time. Hopefully it's a one time thing though. Urgh. I HATE paying late. Hate.
Anyway, that's the fun for now.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
In Mourning for Lost Data
My computer is gone. Kaput. It died. Hardware failure. It had a meltdown. And of course nothing was backed up. That was planned for this weekend. At least all the photos were. I think we’re ok without most of our documents- nothing to important was on there but oh the pictures. All the pictures. They’re all gone now. Erased. I couldn’t save them.
The computer kept freezing after startup. Sometimes it would freeze immediately, sometimes a minute after everything loaded. There wasn’t enough time before the freeze to do anything. I tried to copy pictures but I never could get it to work. I tried Safe Mode, it froze in Safe Mode 5 times before I gave up. It’s an HP so I tried System Restore, it froze. I tried the System Recovery where it resets all apps to factory settings but saving your data- that froze. Twice. And then it had a meltdown/threw a fit. There was a noise. And then nothing. It shut itself off. (Almost wrote shit there which also would have worked.) I turned it back on and everything was gone. Even the OS. Something had fried and it had reformatted itself. It’s all gone. Recovery CDs from HP are on the way because I don’t think we made any and if we did we have no idea where they are. (That goes for a lot of things lately.) I don’t think they’re going to work.
So we’re in the market for a new computer. First thing when we get it is to BACK IT UP. BACK EVERYTHING UP. Doesn’t matter what. BACK IT UP. Thankfully some of my photos are on yahoo photos but most weren’t. Everything has to be re-done. Oh the pictures.
I’ve narrowed the choices down to a MAC Mini, Toshiba notebook, a Gateway or a Sony VAIO notebook. They’ve got some really and truly good sales and rebates going on right now and I want a good computer, not some crappy HP computer that will die easily. Of course the boy doesn’t know this yet but he will today. He still thinks we can use the computer. I don’t think so. Maybe after some expensive hardware repairs but it’s almost worth it then to buy a new one.
Le Grand Sigh.
Note: All is not completely lost, I have found programs that may help us recover data. I’m going to call a local tech company to see if they can do it as we need another computer and there’s not exactly one readily available. (Friends aren’t exactly tech-savvy.)
Update: Tech guys say too expensive. One last try is using boy's bro's computer but that means a drive out La Vernia. He's the only one who would let me install a second hard drive. Plus it's the same brand computer. Sigh. We'll see.
The computer kept freezing after startup. Sometimes it would freeze immediately, sometimes a minute after everything loaded. There wasn’t enough time before the freeze to do anything. I tried to copy pictures but I never could get it to work. I tried Safe Mode, it froze in Safe Mode 5 times before I gave up. It’s an HP so I tried System Restore, it froze. I tried the System Recovery where it resets all apps to factory settings but saving your data- that froze. Twice. And then it had a meltdown/threw a fit. There was a noise. And then nothing. It shut itself off. (Almost wrote shit there which also would have worked.) I turned it back on and everything was gone. Even the OS. Something had fried and it had reformatted itself. It’s all gone. Recovery CDs from HP are on the way because I don’t think we made any and if we did we have no idea where they are. (That goes for a lot of things lately.) I don’t think they’re going to work.
So we’re in the market for a new computer. First thing when we get it is to BACK IT UP. BACK EVERYTHING UP. Doesn’t matter what. BACK IT UP. Thankfully some of my photos are on yahoo photos but most weren’t. Everything has to be re-done. Oh the pictures.
I’ve narrowed the choices down to a MAC Mini, Toshiba notebook, a Gateway or a Sony VAIO notebook. They’ve got some really and truly good sales and rebates going on right now and I want a good computer, not some crappy HP computer that will die easily. Of course the boy doesn’t know this yet but he will today. He still thinks we can use the computer. I don’t think so. Maybe after some expensive hardware repairs but it’s almost worth it then to buy a new one.
Le Grand Sigh.
Note: All is not completely lost, I have found programs that may help us recover data. I’m going to call a local tech company to see if they can do it as we need another computer and there’s not exactly one readily available. (Friends aren’t exactly tech-savvy.)
Update: Tech guys say too expensive. One last try is using boy's bro's computer but that means a drive out La Vernia. He's the only one who would let me install a second hard drive. Plus it's the same brand computer. Sigh. We'll see.
Monday, August 07, 2006
I'm Getting Too Old For This
This whole staying up late thing- just can't do it anymore. Well I can, but I'm destroyed and useless the whole next day. 4am is just not a good bedtime.
Friday night, I went up to the restaurant for my usual Friday night hangout of good food and music. Plus I get to watch the boy work, sigh. I love that. When we got home, some of our neighbors were hanging out and invited us over. They're all about our age so we said, sure why not?
We went over and the 2 girls were already very far gone and the boys were trying to catch up. (The girls had gotten off early and started with a magnum of wine and it just went from there. They were wasted.) We just hung out, played music, and talked. I got my inner nerd on with one of the guys by talking and quoting RENT. We both have it memorized. (Funny to note that both the RENT obsessed guys I know are both named Jason. Go figure.)
One of the girls, who lives in front of us, was starting to complain about her situation and how she never has any money. She waits tables and makes a decent living but spends it all partying and stuff. Her utilities have been cut off twice. She's going to be late on rent this month, and she still has to pay child support. (Has a son who lives with her parents. She's 31.) Responsible, no? And to top it off, she's asked our landlord/realtor to help her find a house. Somehow I don't think that's going to happen. I just don't understand how you can live that way. Priorities really.
Anyway, so we hung out with them for a while and then I started nodding off. I wasn't really drinking much because I knew I was tired. I went home and the boy followed a few minutes later.
I woke up 3.5 hours later to get my butt out of bed for the farmer's market as we needed some veggies and things. When I came home, I plopped down on the couch and passed out for 3 hours. Oops. The boy didn't even move when I left. We just can't keep wasting the days like that.
Makes me feel old but then again, I am old. I have responsibilities. I have to get stuff done. I can't party all the time anymore. Plus we won't be able to afford it soon anyway.
Friday night, I went up to the restaurant for my usual Friday night hangout of good food and music. Plus I get to watch the boy work, sigh. I love that. When we got home, some of our neighbors were hanging out and invited us over. They're all about our age so we said, sure why not?
We went over and the 2 girls were already very far gone and the boys were trying to catch up. (The girls had gotten off early and started with a magnum of wine and it just went from there. They were wasted.) We just hung out, played music, and talked. I got my inner nerd on with one of the guys by talking and quoting RENT. We both have it memorized. (Funny to note that both the RENT obsessed guys I know are both named Jason. Go figure.)
One of the girls, who lives in front of us, was starting to complain about her situation and how she never has any money. She waits tables and makes a decent living but spends it all partying and stuff. Her utilities have been cut off twice. She's going to be late on rent this month, and she still has to pay child support. (Has a son who lives with her parents. She's 31.) Responsible, no? And to top it off, she's asked our landlord/realtor to help her find a house. Somehow I don't think that's going to happen. I just don't understand how you can live that way. Priorities really.
Anyway, so we hung out with them for a while and then I started nodding off. I wasn't really drinking much because I knew I was tired. I went home and the boy followed a few minutes later.
I woke up 3.5 hours later to get my butt out of bed for the farmer's market as we needed some veggies and things. When I came home, I plopped down on the couch and passed out for 3 hours. Oops. The boy didn't even move when I left. We just can't keep wasting the days like that.
Makes me feel old but then again, I am old. I have responsibilities. I have to get stuff done. I can't party all the time anymore. Plus we won't be able to afford it soon anyway.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Contract is now pending
I’ve been rather remiss in the food area lately but that will hopefully show up again shortly. I’ve been doing a massive project at work that really takes up a lot of time. Plus there was the whole house hunt thing, in which I spend all of my free time scouring listings for a house that we could potentially agree on. Took us long enough but we actually found one.
So the offer is accepted and we are now pending. Now we wait. Unfortunately, our realtor is out of town this weekend. We got lucky and caught him right before he left town. We knew this ahead of time though. But still. I want more info and dates! I want to know when I have to move so I can start packing. And we have to fix a few things in the apartment before we move out (new screen in bedroom and new blinds, both thanks to the crazy cat.)
All this fun stuff. Realized last night that we are within stumbling distance from 2 friends’ houses. Weird that. I was at one of their houses last night and decided to drive by because I could. It took a minute to get there. I’m liking that. Now we’ll be able to switch houses for our Chinese food night. (They only have 1 car and a toddler and I don’t have a car seat.)
In cat news, she lost her second collar. Took her a week to do it. We’re getting her microchipped. There’s no other alternative. She’s figured out how to get the collar off and I’m not buying her a new collar and tags every week. Smart, crazy kitty. We can’t keep her inside anymore because she gets too wild and actually withholds affection. We kept her in for a week because she had no collar. She was going crazy and had all this built up energy. Plus, she didn’t rub our ankles like she used to for tuna. Instead she just sat there and quietly followed you to the fridge. She didn’t sit near us anymore, opting to plop down on the far armrest. As soon as we got a new collar and tags and let her out, she was back to her old self, purring and rubbing away. All we could do is laugh.Now, we’re taking a chance and letting her out without a collar. She doesn’t stay out for very long, which is good. We’ll have to get her chipped before moving though and maybe a new collar. No tags though. A sharpie will suffice. I swear, this cat. Such a weird little thing.
So the offer is accepted and we are now pending. Now we wait. Unfortunately, our realtor is out of town this weekend. We got lucky and caught him right before he left town. We knew this ahead of time though. But still. I want more info and dates! I want to know when I have to move so I can start packing. And we have to fix a few things in the apartment before we move out (new screen in bedroom and new blinds, both thanks to the crazy cat.)
All this fun stuff. Realized last night that we are within stumbling distance from 2 friends’ houses. Weird that. I was at one of their houses last night and decided to drive by because I could. It took a minute to get there. I’m liking that. Now we’ll be able to switch houses for our Chinese food night. (They only have 1 car and a toddler and I don’t have a car seat.)
In cat news, she lost her second collar. Took her a week to do it. We’re getting her microchipped. There’s no other alternative. She’s figured out how to get the collar off and I’m not buying her a new collar and tags every week. Smart, crazy kitty. We can’t keep her inside anymore because she gets too wild and actually withholds affection. We kept her in for a week because she had no collar. She was going crazy and had all this built up energy. Plus, she didn’t rub our ankles like she used to for tuna. Instead she just sat there and quietly followed you to the fridge. She didn’t sit near us anymore, opting to plop down on the far armrest. As soon as we got a new collar and tags and let her out, she was back to her old self, purring and rubbing away. All we could do is laugh.Now, we’re taking a chance and letting her out without a collar. She doesn’t stay out for very long, which is good. We’ll have to get her chipped before moving though and maybe a new collar. No tags though. A sharpie will suffice. I swear, this cat. Such a weird little thing.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
We found a house!
I can't believe it! We agreed on a house! I'm going crazy. It's a 4-2, 1900 square feet. Way bigger than we imagined but well, it's in the right location. It's really great. The kitchen is HUGE and there's tons of storage space. There's no garage but I'm ok with that. There's a basketball court in the back but that's ok too. We can do stuff with that. It's an AMAZING house and down the street from our friends. I'm so excited.
We put in an offer and just got a counteroffer. The counteroffer is just fine. They just want a different company for the home warranty and we might have to pay for a new survey to be done if the existing one doesn't work. I can do that. No money down, closing costs paid. Eeeek!
This might just happen! Oh my god!
We put in an offer and just got a counteroffer. The counteroffer is just fine. They just want a different company for the home warranty and we might have to pay for a new survey to be done if the existing one doesn't work. I can do that. No money down, closing costs paid. Eeeek!
This might just happen! Oh my god!
Backpatters is down
For those few who actually read this, backpatters is down. The account was suspended due to the fact that somehow we were hosting a paypal phishing site. We're not at all sure how this is all going to work but if anyone has a clue- HELP!
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