Lean, Mean and 13

Well my baby (I mean, my youngest child) is now officially a teenager. Hard to believe its been thirteen years already since my last experience of childbirth. Those memories still seem fresh. But there have been so many more wonderful things too! The sumo wrestler fat baby. The precocious toddler speaking in full sentences. The suave woman-charming little boy. The sports loving, book reading, game playing, trivia spouting young man of today. The chick magnet of tomorrow. Oh, the things we still have to look forward to! I thank God often for sending me such a terrific kid, especially as I had just asked Him for a sign in my life. Josh is a pretty clear sign that what I still need to be doing is taking care of my family. (And maybe letting them take care of me, too.) Hey God - thanks again!

That Eric Garcia can write!

"I'm not one of those women who feels the need to shop every time the going gets rough. In fact, I often prefer to make my purchases when I'm in a good mood; a beautiful pair of shoes enhances a natural high and brings it to a level that's probably illegal in some states."
-Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys by Eric Garcia

The cover of this book had me worried that it would be really raunchy, but in fact it is just slightly naughty and highly amusing. I have to admit to liking Eric Garcia's work. It is definitely high on the list of unique fiction. I read a lot of whodunits and am rarely still in the dark at the end. But I have to admit that with a mere 8 pages left I had no idea how this book would end. What an interesting twist Garcia puts on life! (Come to think of it, I was surprised by the ending of Matchstick Men as well). (And then the dinosaur detectives. Hmmm...) It is interesting to note that Garcia wrote this from Cassandra's point of view, and if I didn't know he was a male author I never would have guessed. He did his homework well. Just look at the shoe quote above. I venture to say that is not a man's attitude. Yes he's showing the stereotypic fashion-obsessed woman (as do many female authors) but it is wickedly funny at times. It is LA after all. And then there are "the boys". "I don't know what I would do without them. No matter what's going wrong in my life--my job, my relationships, my hair--they're a bright spot in every day. One day, they'll be gone, back into the world that made them. That's the goal after all. All I can hope is that they will come back now and again to thank me. Then they'll probably ask for another shot of morphine."

Maybe not for everyone, but a unique and enjoyable read!

Adventures at the ER

Josh woke me yesterday morning with a rapid heartbeat and the shakes, although no fever. He has been complaining of stomach pain and generally not eating or drinking for the last 4 days. So being finally freaked out about it I took him to the Doctor. They decided that perhaps we should go to the Pediatric ER at General for an xray. So off we went. (The biggest mistake was that I was too hurried and nervous to eat beforehand myself, so made do the whole day with just a couple granola bars and a glass of water). Well the ER doctor did not think his pain warranted an xray because it was "not localized", i.e. not appendicitis (good news, but not surprising given the lack of fever). What they did do was blood work, and put him on IV to rehydrate him. To ward off evil thoughts, and to distract us, I read to him (and we worked on a crossword puzzle), and it made the time go faster. I had an evil sinus headache, so what I really wanted was to have him move over in the bed so I could take a nap with him. (Actually, the nurse said that its not unusual for that to happen). Josh asked lots of questions and found out about IVs and monitors and such. After the first 500 ml of saline he finally got some color into his cheeks and perked up a bit. Enough to be able to stand without feeling light headed. I had a discussion with the doc about what symptoms to look for with real inflammatory bowel and or irritable bowel syndromes. It was not terribly busy so I wonder if that's why he spent time to explain things...Or maybe doctors are better at that stuff than I thought, esp. if you ask the right questions and act ignorant enough. He gave Josh instructions about what to start eating (clear liquids, bland foods etc.) and sent us home. The final diagnosis (although it sounds like a symptom) was "non-specific abdominal pain". It was a very long 5 hours...at least to me, and I was exhausted when I got home. I guess he was too, but I'm not sure he expended the emotional energy I did. Especially the part about worrying about work, even though I knew that was in good hands. Well, I hope to not have to do that again soon.

I Love Travelogues

Despite the bother of taking down tables and setting up all the chairs, getting the coffee and tea and juice and cookies, I still love travelogues. I guess its because we get to see great pictures while hearing a virtual adventure. And most of the presenters are very nice people and easy to work with. But best of all my regular travelogue attendees truly appreciate what I do. I get tons of positive feedback, and the people keep coming back for more. I think 90% of the 65(!) who attended today were repeat attenders. And that makes me feel great too!

Books, Books and more Books

I spent all afternoon updating my books of authors I like to read, and all the books of theirs I missed, or need to watch for. Anyway, all I need now is lots of time to read. :)

Positive Affirmations

Here are my thumbs up experiences (that could have been downers) from the last week:

• Making gel candles with a bunch of teens. I was terrified of all the things that could go wrong (esp. the fear of setting off the sprinkler system in the library with smoke). But none of the terrible things came to pass, the candles turned out great, the teens were happy and good natured, and I slept very well that night (from exhaustion and relief I guess).
• A patron complimented my hair. We actually had a discussion of how our mothers both suggested that we color our hair. In my case I just am too lazy to put that much effort into my hair (not to mention that done wrong it could look very bad indeed, and I have no skill in that area). But it was a good feeling to know that not everyone thinks I look old and gray. In fact I get just enough good hair compliments to keep me going even on the worst of hair days.
• Teaching Basic Internet to a class of 13. Through some fluke that will probably never be understood 13 people showed up for my Tuesday morning Internet class. I was expecting 6. The miracle is that it went very well. And while I did not get fabulous comments, no one walked off in a huff either. And I got some supportive comments from coworkers that made me feel I'd done a great thing indeed. Earning that respect was the best part.
  

Very Interesting!

You may not have noticed, but I have blogger's block. I want to post, but nothing seems interesting enough to say. Until I got an email today with some pictures from this site:
http://www.canstruction.org/
Check it out. Lots of cool sculptures made out of cans of food. Its a design industry charity to help fight hunger. And the artisitic results are incredible. Use the Competition tab and look at winners from the last few years. They are amazing!

January Blues

It's happened again. That terrible post holiday slump. I am so tired, mentally and physically, that I can hardly function, and yet...I must. I have traveled and seen folks who I miss (and always miss more just after seeing them). I took a week off from work, but came back to the week from hell. 15 hours of busy reference time that was unbelievably stressful (moreso because of the aforementioned mental fatigue). Of course we also need to factor in the Seasonal Affective Disorder. One sunny afternoon does not make up for 10 days without seeing the sun, or even a lightness in the sky. How can we function if it is always twilight? I have new respect for arctic dwellers. So anyway I have not made resolutions either. I would have broken them all already since I still have all my bad habits from last year...and then some. I have yet to get my body back to the pool, or to any exercise. I just can't seem to get the enthusiasm worked up. Nor can I easily get my pants zipped up, so squeezing back into the bathing suit is not something I'm looking forward to. My procrastination gear is on High. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Oh, okay, even the spirit is weak...

Red Sox fans respond to Damon's move to the Yankees

Torture

Well I haven't been posting due to technical difficulties (i.e. not getting my turn, being out of town, and the PC sounding like it has black lung disease) , but I could not let the opportunity go by to complain about the dentist. I don't really care for dental visits. They are usually uncomfortable and always give me a headache. Not to mention the tension as I lie waiting for something to hurt (whether it does or not is irrelevant, I still get tense). I do like the feeling of nice clean teeth, but today I wondered if it was worth it because I had to listen to Country Music while I had my teeth cleaned. Aargh. That just adds insult to injury.

Rant over. Happy New Year! Maybe I should resolve to floss more. I always do after a dental visit, but then it wears off.