For my beloved friend, Cyn. Ask and ye shall receive. April 29, 2006

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve been here and blogged.

My only excuse is that I’ve been crazy busy. I’ve been working my azz off (literally. The other day I got myself into size 10 jeans. I didn’t have to lay down to get them zipped. I could still breathe when they were fastened. I’m pretty sure I could have sat down, but I didn’t try that.). I have taken the promotion that was offered to me, much to the sadness of both me and my current boss, but it has meant a dramatic increase in my work hours.

I’ve even broken a MAJOR rule of mine and I’ve been doing work at home. My dad used to do that. It drove the entire family crazy–he’d work until about 7PM (after going in at 5AM) and as soon as dinner was finished, he’d haul out his briefcase and work until about 10, then go to bed and get up at 4AM to start it all over again. I swore I would never have a job that would require me to work AFTER I left work. Heh. And then I was a pastor, which meant I never got to leave work–pastoring isn’t really a profession you can just be from 9-5. You’re pretty much a pastor 24/7. Then I got this job and, well: let’s just say this apple didn’t fall too far from her tree. But it takes a lot of work to get a store up and running–and this store is at the Mall of America, and the company is putting HUGE pressure on us to be spot. on. 100%. perfect. Because in a lot of ways: the company will be judged by what we do at our store. Great. No pressure. But it means work at home.

But I’m learning so much–and I’m always happiest when I’m busy and learning new stuff. This decision (while a difficult one to make) has been nothing but a good one for us. AND, as of June 1: HELLO, HEALTH INSURANCE! It’s babymaking time in Beegeland. And there’s nothing that doesn’t make me smile about that.

The other night while Nea was in the bath, she shocked me by announcing, “Daddy has a penis. Mama has a bagina like NeiNei–‘cept Mama’s bagina is brown and NeiNei’s bagina is pink.” Not even two and a half-years old, folks. And sure, we’ve taught her the correct names for her body parts (I really didn’t want her to refer to her vagina as a “hoo-ha” or “noonie” or “down there”. Good Lord, it’s no less shameful to have a penis or a vagina than it is to have an elbow or an ankle) but we haven’t really tallyed up the differences for her. Clearly, it would have been time wasted if we had. She’s got it all figured out. And she’s got the verbal acuity to express what she’s got figured out. Lucky us.

When we were in Portland for Grandpa’s funeral, my family all piled into the car to go somewhere. Mom was driving and she hit a speed bump at a pretty good clip and bounced us around a bit. Nea’s response? “Oh my GOSH. Nice driving.” Mom had to park the car because she was laughing so hard. My girl? Not only can she talk like a four year old, but she’s mastered the delicate art of sarcasm. Mom said she’d never have believed that Linnea could talk like that if she hadn’t heard it herself. Like I’ve been lying to her all these months on the phone about what Linnea says.

Today for lunch I made chili dogs. I’ve been missing Sonic like crazy, lately. Must be the change of season–the warmer weather, the longer days. But something has been crying out for a chili-cheese dog and tots for about a week now. I finally thought, “Good Lord. It’s not complicated! It’s a hotdog with chili and cheese on it for crap’s sake.” So I did it today. And it was good. Not quite right–being as I was lacking the Route 44 Diet Limeade for my beverage. But it appeased whatever little beasty was growling for a chili cheese dog. Finally.

Crochet: going well. I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere near ready to tackle the sushi toilet roll cover. But I’ve made a lovely beginning of a double-crochet scarf for Nea. Not liking crochet as well I as like knitting, because it’s much slower and takes a ton more yarn. But for something different and new and challenging: I’m liking it. Today a dear friend of mine is coming over. Being as it’s a rainy, drizzly, chilly day we’re going to have soup and wine and knit. Perfection.

Quiet Sunday April 9, 2006

So, it’s finally Sunday. It’s my “day off”. I use quotation marks because I have to go to work for about three hours tonight for a store meeting…I don’t really count it as a day off if I’m required to be at work and they’re planning on paying me for it. But for now, I’m not at work. We’re doing laundry, and M is puttering about the apartment, putting locks on doors that Linnea has figured out how to open. I’m not sure either one of us knows what Linnea is doing right now…my guess is that she’s “helping” her daddy with his further childproofing projects.

Not much has been going on. I”ve been working my azz off, which will be nice once that paycheck starts rolling in. I have to tell my Boss that I’m quitting and going to work for another store…I’m SO not looking forward to that conversation, because I really do love my Boss and I wish almost more than anything that a similar opportunity would open up with her. But she’s been promising me such an opportunity since October, and I’ve hung in there, but I can’t do it anymore. Not when I’ve been offered the chance to be on the management team of a brand-new, high-profile store. Not when the job is guaranteed full-time AND hourly so anything over 40 they’re SO paying for; not when the job has incredibly good, incredibly cheap health insurance, not when I’d have access to a 401k and all those grown-uppy things that I had before we moved and then really missed when they were gone. Plus, I know the gal who is the store manager and she and I get along really well. So I’m going. The only thing that would stop me is if BossLady could pull a rabbit out of her hat and offer me the same benies…and I know that she can’t, because if she could: she would have done it already.

I’m really not looking forward to sitting down with her and saying, “I’m leaving.” I know she’ll understand, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

On to happier topics.

I’m teaching myself to crochet! Inspired mainly by a desire to have a granny-squares purse (I found a pattern in a book of knitting patterns I bought), and a long-held desire to have this. I first expressed a desire for this about a year ago, and a friend volunteered her husband to make one for each of us. But life happens, and I’m pretty sure that if I wait for a sushi toilet paper roll cover to come from them: I’ll be waiting a long time. They’ve got bigger stuff to deal with than my wanting something to make my spare roll look interesting. And so I’m learning to crochet so I can make myself a sushi toilet paper roll cover. After my first night of study? I learned how to chain (I can make some wicked-cool chains!) and how to slip stitch. I’m thinking that I won’t be cranking out that sushi roll anytime soon. Or the purse. But I just MIGHT be able to chain us a gate to keep Linnea in her bed at night.

Spring is in the process of arriving to the Northland. I’ve busted out my crop pants and tshirts. I’ve bid a fond adieu to my sweaters. And I’m starting to think of what sorts of flowers I want outside my living room window. We have a flowerbed, and the complex plants flowers in it. But *I* can get one of those iron shepherd’s hook thingies and put hanging baskets in the flower bed. I think I’d like to do that, because our living room window is right next to the sidewalk and people tend to park things in our window…bikes, sleds, trikes, strollers. It’s sort of annoying. Like there aren’t plenty of window-free areas to park their crap along our apartment, they choose to block what little view we have. I’m wondering if putting “schnutz” in the window area would discourage their indescriminate vehicle parkage. Just enough to 1) give us some privacy ‘cuz DUDE: stare a little harder when you walk by, why don’t you? and 2) make it clear that someone ELSE is using this space. Like the people who live here, and who pay a goodly-sized monthly fee to have this window and scrap of flowerbed.

Is that so much to ask?