Generation Exhausted

The One With The Extra Day

My Fan Club has spoken. They miss me, they really miss me. However, I will point out that the obligatory "I hate February" rant appeared in this space on January 15th, as a Side Note, where I wondered aloud if January was the new February. Weren't you listening?

But if you insist-  February is grey, gloomy and ugh, and this year, it not only seems longer than usual, it IS longer than usual. Satisfied? But in a few hours, February will be OVER. Cue the marching band.

Spent a few hours in the ER with the Oldest tonight. It is very odd, this adjusting to parenting an adult business. I remembered to ask if she wanted me to be in the examining room with her, and was prepared to wait outside if I had to. I mostly kept my mouth shut as she answered the questions the nurses and doctor asked. I tried not to "parent."

It was very hard. Hard to realize that I didn't have to be there at all. Hard to realize that she got to sign her own consent forms, etc. Hard to realize that in a few months, she'll be a thousand miles from home, and I won't even have the privilege of driving her to the Urgent Care if she falls and breaks her arm.

I'm such a Suzy Sunshine, aren't I?

On an up note, we went shopping earlier this week and she picked out bedding and towels for her new lodgings at the House of the Mouse. It was fun, and she let me pay for it.

Honestly, I'll be glad when Spring arrives. There was more snow today and yesterday, and I'm done with Winter, even if Winter's not done with me yet. I dreamt last night about doing yard work, which on some level is very sad, but I felt all motivated and energetic at the idea of weeding and trimming and raking. If it weren't for the freezing temps and four inches of snow on the lawn, I could really have gotten some work done.

I will try, really try, to blog more often. Be prepared for some nonsensical posts, as I try to get back into writing shape. But I want to very badly, and more than that, I need to, so bear with me.

Bring on the Spring!

If I'm not here, I'm there

Blogging has recommenced at Remember The Magic. And tomorrow, I'll have something pithy to say here too.

There goes my baby...

We love Disney so much, we're giving them our kid.

Looks like I might just have to get back to my own long-forgotten Disney blog.

Will wonders never...

An awful stomach bug whipped through here this weekend, flattening most of us. As a result, I slept lots, and now I'm wide awake. Luckily, inspiration has struck, and I've hit the keyboard.

I'd really like to blog about having written something, because it's been a while. So I'm going to go do that now, and then I'll be back.

Pinky swear.

This week in Inspiration

This week, I actually put information into my new day planner. Not much, just a little task list, which, after a day, I've been able to go halfway through with checkmarks.

This week's day planner "theme" is Success. It is accompanied by a picture of an empty canoe, in serene waters, with snowy-looking mountains in the background. The quote reads: Success is not reached by chance - it is reached by choice.

It occurred to me tonight that I've forgotten what I used to spend my Internet time on, in the days before Facebook became the Centre of the Universe. Obviously, I blogged a lot more. But I also read blogs, and sought out sources of interesting information, and looked for ways to grow into who I'm meant to be. Must get back to that, I think.

Many of the blogs I read are written by incredibly insightful individuals who also happen to have a gift with the written word. Today, on two of those blogs, I found phrases that "struck" me - phrases that said to me, "There! That's exactly it!" And then I wondered if I would ever be able to put words together in quite that way, if I would ever be able to take someone's breath away with a thought expressed. On two entirely different topics.

From Dooce: (some paraphrasing mine)

And however asinine it sounds, it helped yesterday thinking that you were sent to me for very specific reasons, that something inside of me is supposed to be called upon in regard to who you are as a person... And maybe I'm the one who is supposed to be able to see through all that...And not just because we are bound together by blood...It's a comforting albeit fantastical thought that maybe you knew before I did that you'd really need me. So just in case, I want you to know that I'm honored you had so much faith that I was up to the task.

She is talking about her daughter, and though her reasons (and her daughter) may be different from any of mine, this is exactly how I feel sometimes. Only I didn't know it.

And from Joshilyn Jackson:

...because in terms of how we choose to live and make the earth a better place or a worse one, how OLD the dirt we make these choices on matters not a whit.

How do they DO that?

Home is where the heat is

Had I been live blogging the last couple of days, it might have looked something like this:

Late Thurs afternoon: Piled stuff in car and hit the highway to take grown up daughter to big city for summer internship interview. Discover that it is possible to defy all known laws of modern-day culture and NOT see a Tim Hortons exactly when we wanted one.

Thurs evening: Have been off of freeway and in big city exactly 90 seconds before first panhandler approached car.

Later Thurs evening: Heat in over-priced national chain hotel room does not appear to be working. The front desk is sending "someone" up to look at the thermostat.

Ten minutes later: "Someone" has gotten thing on wall to blow cold air into the room. "Someone" says don't touch the controls and that it will warm up soon.

Twenty minutes later: Have ordered pizza from national chain pizza place, which will take "more than an hour." Pizza place has refused to take cell phone number and insists on hotel's phone number.

Thirty minutes later: Over-priced hotel hot tub is not hot, but tepid. Apparently hot tub is not even supposed to be re-opening until tomorrow, after its annual refurbishment, ergo, it has not "warmed up" yet. The halls are cold too.

Thirty-five minutes later: Room has not "warmed up" yet either. Go down to desk to express displeasure. Am offered new room. Am not offered assistance in moving, but front desk helpfully informs me that our pizza has come early and gone away, since we were not in our room.

Move bags to new room, with door that requires a "shove" to close. Call pizza place with new room number. Pizza arrives. We eat accompanying salad with our fingers.

Go outside for "air". Am instantly approached by two more panhandlers.

Three hours later: The Apocalypse, in the form of major snow storm, is due to arrive in town soon. Peek out window to see if snow has started. Window blind falls on head.

Five hours later: Wake up feeling as though I am being interrogated. Turn heat down.

Heat does not go down.

Friday morning: It's the Day After Tomorrow outside. As a sensible person, I am now stuck in Big City another night. Over-priced hotel is now booked solid for Friday night. This is not a bad thing.

Thankfully, the rest of the trip was reasonably uneventful, except for the fact that the snow discouraged us from doing any urban exploration. The interview went well, dinner was enjoyable, and the second hotel (just down the street from the first) was worth every penny. Their hot tub was hot, their breakfast was free. And Oldest and I didn't bicker at. all.

But gosh, it's good to be home.