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Dec 31, 2008

2008: A Year I Won’t Miss

By ·

Goodbye 2008.

No, really. See ya later 2008. Take your musty old robes and make way for the 2009 baby. Git gone. Scram. 2008, you are persona non grata. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

If ever there was a year I wanted to banish into the past and forget it ever happened, 2008 would be it. It feels like a dark cloud has been hanging over our heads for the entire year. I could link up a bunch of posts pointing to a year in review, but I think it would hurt too much to re-read those words.

You probably remember the lowlights, anyway: being laid off, trying to find a job with no success, dealing with a summer of regression from Cordy, losing health insurance, a car that tried to die on us, a relapse into depression for me (can you blame me at this point?), losing my best-paid freelance job, going on assistance for a short time, suffering through serious marriage problems that nearly split us apart, and on and on and on.

As one final parting blow before 2008 was done, we lost our health insurance for the girls due to Aaron’s temporary job paying him too much in a single month, and found out a developer who owns the land behind us is now trying to change it from building very nice single family condo homes to an apartment complex. As if our property values weren’t suffering enough already.

As my friend Erin would say, 2008 can #suckit.

Some good did happen in 2008, though. I don’t think we could have survived an entire year of nothing but being beat down. I started writing a new blog that I love. Cordy has made incredible progress in the last 6 months, tackling many challenges that before were too much for her to handle. Aaron currently has a technical writing contract job that should last through January, and if we have any luck, beyond that. Family and friends continue to offer their support. Blog friends came through for me in spades, helping to fix my car, and giving us a surprise $100 gift at Christmas. I only hope I’ve helped as many people as have helped me.

Lesson: although circumstances have sucked, it’s the people, not objects, that can make things seem better.

So while it’s been a stressful year, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom. But when you combine our personal situation with the global economic, environmental, and social problems of this year, I think you’ll join us in giving 2008 the finger as we boot it out the door.

As for 2009, I can only hope that we’ve satisfied karma’s twisted sense of humor and our fortunes will improve in some way. I’m longing for the Powers That Be to tire of screwing with us. I’d like our financial situation to stabilize, and I hope we’ll all have health insurance again soon. I’ll be finished with school in June, and will then start my search for a job, either part-time or full-time. I’m planning to go to Blissdom 09 and BlogHer 09 this year (still working on the financial details), and expect them to be great events for meeting up with friends and making new contacts.

Personally, I want 2009 to be a year of better health and better parenting. I think I’m an OK parent, but there’s always room for improvement. I’d also like to start sewing again, making clothing for Cordy and Mira instead of buying as much mass-produced clothing. I want to spend more time with friends and family and less time worrying. Also, one way or another I’m going to kick depression’s ass and feel happy again.

C’mon 2009. I’ve got a lot of faith in you. Don’t let me down.

And finally, I hope 2009 is a year full of promise and good fortune for you and your family, too.

Filed Under: daily life, fate laughing at me, holidays, memories ·


Oct 17, 2008

Haiku Friday: Costumes Subject to Change

By ·
“I want to be a
superhero!” she tells me
for this Halloween.

So superhero
costume purchased, and now? She
wants to be a bat.

I sometimes wonder
if she does this on purpose
just to screw with us.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your main blog URL). DON’T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, please let me know.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top.

REMEMBER: Do not post your link unless you have a haiku this week! I will delete any links without haiku!

Filed Under: Cordy, fate laughing at me, Haiku Fridays ·


Sep 30, 2008

Checking For Black Cats & Avoiding Ladders

By ·

Ever feel like you’re cursed? Like you passed by a penny on the ground, or broke a mirror, or walked under a ladder or stepped on a crack or any other crazy daily activity that is rumored to bring you bad luck?

I’m feeling that way right now. Friday was probably the worst day I’ve had in a long time. I first had to go to orientation for the new quarter of nursing school, where I would be meeting the person who will be in charge of my education for the last year of my program, and also meeting my clinical instructor for this quarter.

As I drove out of my neighborhood, I realized that I would get there just on time. And then I got behind a school bus. While waiting the second time the bus stopped to pick up a student (not more than 30 feet from the last stop), my car suddenly began sputtering, shaking, and jumping, with a loud noise coming from the engine. The Check Engine light began flashing quickly – not the steady hey, you might want to get this checked out sometime light, but the holy shit! critical fail! abort! abort! kind of light. I realized the car would not make it to school, so I turned around and went home to switch cars.

The switch made me about 10 minutes late for orientation. I worried about how it would look for me to be late, but that was nothing compared to when I walked in and saw all of my classmates in uniform. We’ve never had an orientation in uniform – what was going on? I took a seat in the back, and a friend turned to look at me in my t-shirt and shorts, asking “Do you notice something a little different between you and the rest of the room?” Apparently the instruction to wear our uniform was in the e-mail, but I missed it somehow.

So now not only was I late, but I had no uniform, making me truly look like the class slacker. I apologized to the orientation leader afterward, and then went to meet with my clinical instructor, who also was unhappy to see I wasn’t in uniform. Hello – meet the student who will have to prove herself more than anyone else this quarter.

When I came home later that day, I had to lay down due to the pressure building in my sinuses. I spent the weekend in agony from a sinus infection that just won’t go away. Today wasn’t much better. I may have to give in and visit a doctor tomorrow if I can’t sleep again tonight.

So seriously, am I cursed? We tried to start the car again yesterday and it still shook violently and there was a strong smell of gas. Until Friday, it didn’t have a single problem and saw a mechanic recently. It’s still sitting in the driveway, because we don’t want to pay to tow it and get it looked at if there’s a chance it’ll be too expensive to fix. (Side note: if anyone knows anything about cars, I’m open for advice. It’s a 2000 Nissan Sentra. If no one else knows, I may have to try Amelia’s suggestion of calling the Car Talk guys. I should have known that taking shop in junior high was more valuable than home ec.)

Even my mother, upon hearing the news of the car, said “You seem to have a large amount of bad luck. I don’t know why, but for the past couple of years it’s been one thing after another.” This was coming from a woman who doesn’t believe much in luck. I’m wondering if I need to find some quartz crystals and a white candle to rid myself of all of this bad luck? Or should I remind myself that adversity builds character and keeps me in a wealth of blogging topics?

(And should someone have cursed me – not that I really believe in that – they say anything bad you send out comes back to you three fold. Can’t imagine how much your life will suck soon, dude.)

Filed Under: clearly insane, fate laughing at me ·


Dec 21, 2007

Haiku Friday: A Blogger’s Torture

By ·
Dark clouds overhead
Please let us weather this storm
Crossing my fingers

My stomach in knots
Did we offend you, karma?
Let things go our way.

I wish I could tell
All these worries in my head
But I must stay mute

Want to know how to drive a blogger insane? Give her news that directly affects her family and stresses her out, but then tell her she can’t blog about it because people involved may read the blog, which could affect the outcome. It’s killing me.

I want to explain what’s going on. I want to whine and cry and ask for a shoulder to lean on, spilling out my fears to any who would listen. It’s a situation I’ve never had to deal with before, it’s scary, and being unable to type out those words is almost painful. It’s such a big part of my life right now that writing posts without discussing it feels sort of dishonest.

As soon as I’m able, I will share everything. But for now, I can only write these vague lines. Slightly therapeutic, but overall still unsatisfying to me, and I’m sure to you, too.

(Oh, and before you ask: I’m not pregnant. And everyone is healthy. Just wanted to make that clear.)

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below or at Jennifer’s blog with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your generic blog URL). We will delete your link if it doesn’t go to a haiku. If you need help with this, contact Jennifer or myself.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button above.

Filed Under: fate laughing at me, Haiku Fridays ·


Dec 20, 2007

Please Ignore The Smoke Coming From Ohio…

By ·

…that would be me trying to set my kitchen on fire.

I’ve said before that I’m a domestic zero. Hate cleaning, can’t cook, and I’m not so hot at baking. But I thought I might try my hand at some homemade food gifts this year – it’s cheap, and people appreciate yummy homemade food. And it’s cheap.

Last year I made this amazing peppermint bark (recipe here), and two different families loved it and praised my abilities to simply melt chocolate. So, ego inflated from last year’s success and compliments, I decided to make it again this year, only adding to it a drizzle of white chocolate across the top.

Apparently having that second child took out that last remnant of domestic ability I had hiding in me.

I didn’t have my grandmother’s double boiler, so I decided to go all modern and melt the chocolate in the microwave. First was the Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. They melted beautifully, a sea of rich dark brown liquid in the bowl. Easy peasy!

Next I had to add the peppermint extract. But instead of measuring out the 1 tsp of peppermint, I just dumped a little into the mix. A little too much, I think. The smooth sea of chocolate instantly turned lumpy, and I stirred and stirred trying to even it out again. I heated it more, but the lumps remained.

Giving up on this step, I poured the mix out onto the parchment paper and smoothed it out as best I could. So it won’t be as pretty, but it’ll still taste good, right? Having finished with the spatula, I licked off the remaining chocolate. Or should I say mint with a hint of chocolate. Ick.

Oh, and I burned my tongue in the process because who knew freshly microwaved melted chocolate was hot?

Time to melt the white chocolate. Maybe the drizzled white chocolate could at least make it look pretty again? Into a bowl I put a handful of white chocolate chips. A bowl I have used in the microwave many, many times, I might add. I set it for two minutes and walked away.

When the buzzer went off, I checked it. Still in solid chip form. Hmmm….needs more heat, I guess. So I microwaved them for another minute. Still chip form, but when I stirred them with a spoon they started to squish. OK, almost ready. Another minute in the microwave should do it.

Then I opened the microwave to a cloud of smoke. In the bowl was now something dark, not white. I pulled the bowl out, and immediately noticed something dripping. Looking into the bowl, I could see my toes. Uh, oh.


It burned straight through the bowl. Apparently the melting point of white chocolate is higher than that of microwave safe plastic. Nothing will melt those damn chips.

I quickly tossed the bowl in the trash and cleaned up the mess of melted plastic and white chocolate that had dripped across the kitchen, sizzling on the floor like acid trying to eat through the linoleum.

I always knew white chocolate was evil…now I have proof.

And a cookie sheet full of lumpy, too-minty dark chocolate bark.

So if Aaron is smart, he will revoke my kitchen privileges and limit me to nothing more advanced than making PB&J sandwiches and heating Lean Cuisine meals. Otherwise we won’t have any mixing bowls left. Or possibly a kitchen.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy some peppermint bark and put it in my homemade containers to pass off as my own. If you want real, edible homemade treats, go see this woman.

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Filed Under: domestic zero, fate laughing at me ·