Yesterday was kind of stressful (they all are, recently). But it was also pretty good. The weather was fantastic. The nice thing about Portland is that the weather is steady-eddie. I understand Omaha has had some really nice weather this spring. The difference is that it will return to sub-30s weather in a heartbeat.
On my way into work, I stumbled across a nickel. I immediately wondered if nickels provide 5 times as much luck as a penny because we'd need a little luck that day. We were to have a hearing with the judge and opposing counsel to hammer out some details of the ruling. It turned out that it didn't really matter because 4 blocks later, I struck pay-dirt. As I bent down to pick up a penny, I saw 8 others. 14 cents on my way into work isn't a bad way to start the day! When I told Ben about it, he informed me that he had also found a penny. If a nickel wasn't going to give us much luck, surely 10 pennies would.
And maybe it did? The ex's lawyer was a no-show for the hearing. She had originally said that she might be there in person (it was a telephonic hearing), but she wasn't. She also wasn't available by phone when my lawyer, and later the judge's office tried calling. She has to know that it doesn't reflect well on their side when she misses hearings. And this isn't the only one she's missed (or been late to). She was late to her own appointment when we did interrogatories. Sheesh!
My lawyer called to discuss. I asked a million questions about what they *could* do and what we can do to mitigate that. I asked about the cost of all of this. It has been a struggle, that's for sure. For going on 8 months, now, we've maintained 2 households, we've paid for at least 16 round trip tickets to and from Omaha, and paid a full year of Ben's take home pay to a lawyer. Luckily, Bubba's daycare is also higher and we've had almost $2,000 in car repairs. Oh, wait. Seriously, though, putting it all out there is pretty impressive. We've done this on our savings. What despairs me is the thought that there are women (and men) out there who would like to better their lives, but do not have the means to fight lengthy court battles. I still think that one party (not mine) is just trying to outlast the other. One party (not mine) makes more than the other and has not had the burden of mortgage, rent, plane tickets, etc that the other has. But you know what? Right is right. Might is not always right. So we will not be outlasted. We will not fold under the pressure. Sure, our savings is nearly depleted, but we're going to be OK.
The end is in sight. We'll pay a few thousand dollars for the order to be drafted and our time to be wasted by opposing party. We'll pay a few more thousand for the appeal (he's "definitely" going to appeal). And we'll pay about $9,000 out of pocket when we sell our house. But then it's done. Then, we can start saving, again. I hope. If we're not forced to declare bankruptcy before then. Bright side: we don't have to move back to Omaha and be jobless anytime soon. We wouldn't be homeless, as my friend Rob has offered his transient-people living space to us if we have to move back. We'd have been squatters, padlocked into his basement, but at least we'd have been warm (or cool...depending on the season). No. We're staying put. We are standing our ground. You can't scare us anymore.
And we're going to continue to pick up pennies.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Cortisol: it's what's for dinner
It is not possible for life to be easy. We all should know that by now, right? But, alas, I am an optimist. I guess I should start up again where we left off on the last post. We made it home from Disneyland after finding out we won our court case.
I called the ex to see if I could just keep Scooter out here and start her in school. I was told 'no.' (there were other words, too, but this is a family blog). So Scooter and I flew back to Omaha early on Saturday morning. On the way back, I asked Scooter what her favorite part of the trip was
S: Right now, sitting quietly with you. Oh, wait. No. The trip out with Ben.
Me: Seriously? We went to Disneyland and the beach!
S: I know. But with Ben, the trip was just beginning.
Ugh. Let's get ice cream.
The in-laws picked us up in Omaha, and we spent the rest of the day playing games and smiling. After dinner, we took Scooter back to her dad's. His car was parked in front of the house. The door to the house was locked, so we had to ring the doorbell. I gave Scooter a quick hug and kiss before the door opened, and Vicky pulled Scooter inside and grabbed the backpack out of my hand.
Awkward. The ex was no where to be seen. Apparently, not man enough to face the wicked witch of the west (that's me, in case you're wondering).
This interesting dance contest we're in keeps getting faster and more complicated. Or at least more heated and expensive. I was informed today that he's "definitely" going to appeal. I kind of already figured that. I kind of am not looking forward to the expense of defending an appeal. Or the time and worry. Or any of it. I never wanted to go to court. I don't know how it is possible that 2 grown adults are unable to interact. I guess it requires 2 grown adults to actually want to engage in an open, HONEST dialog. It gets harder when one of those adults is completely unable to be honest.
The bright side is that I have a lawyer who has a firm grasp of reality and caselaw...
I called the ex to see if I could just keep Scooter out here and start her in school. I was told 'no.' (there were other words, too, but this is a family blog). So Scooter and I flew back to Omaha early on Saturday morning. On the way back, I asked Scooter what her favorite part of the trip was
S: Right now, sitting quietly with you. Oh, wait. No. The trip out with Ben.
Me: Seriously? We went to Disneyland and the beach!
S: I know. But with Ben, the trip was just beginning.
Ugh. Let's get ice cream.
The in-laws picked us up in Omaha, and we spent the rest of the day playing games and smiling. After dinner, we took Scooter back to her dad's. His car was parked in front of the house. The door to the house was locked, so we had to ring the doorbell. I gave Scooter a quick hug and kiss before the door opened, and Vicky pulled Scooter inside and grabbed the backpack out of my hand.
 |
| Vicky |
This interesting dance contest we're in keeps getting faster and more complicated. Or at least more heated and expensive. I was informed today that he's "definitely" going to appeal. I kind of already figured that. I kind of am not looking forward to the expense of defending an appeal. Or the time and worry. Or any of it. I never wanted to go to court. I don't know how it is possible that 2 grown adults are unable to interact. I guess it requires 2 grown adults to actually want to engage in an open, HONEST dialog. It gets harder when one of those adults is completely unable to be honest.
The bright side is that I have a lawyer who has a firm grasp of reality and caselaw...
Monday, March 28, 2011
The drive back...
We checked out of our hotel on Wednesday and headed up to Seal Beach. We didn't see any seals, so we drove down PCH to Huntington Beach, CA. It was a nice drive down to the beach. We parked and walked along the beach for a while. The kids stuck their feet in the freezing Pacific, and we watched a little bit of a surfing competition while finding seashells along the shore. After that, we drove through Huntington Beach to look at where my sister used to live and their nice beach-town main street area. And then we were off to Chico to pick up our car.
We got in around 8, and went promptly to bed. Tired kids + tired parents = sleepy time! Plus...there's not a whole lot to do in Chico at 8pm with 2 tired children. We got up on Thursday, drove the rental car to the transmission place, where we found out they came in about $300 under the estimate! yay!! We drove back to the hotel for free breakfast, and then over to the rental car place to drop off the car and move everything that was left in the rental over to our car, which was purring like a kitten.
Back at the hotel, we were cleaning up the car a little (we had just kind of thrown everything in from the rental) when my phone rang. It was buried in my backpack, and when I went to grab it out, I hit something, and the phone stopped ringing. I had no idea who had called. I looked up my missed calls and incoming calls, and they were both the ex, so I called him back. No answer. Whatever. We went back to consolidating the explosion in my car into neat(er) piles. Ben's phone rang. Nobody recognized the number, but Ben answered anyway. It was our lawyer. My ears perked up.
Ben: Yes?
Ben: And?
He gave me a thumbs up and a big smile. I didn't want to assume anything, but my stomach immediately turned over. He said, 'Wow. that's just great news.' And I lost it. I grabbed the kids and started sobbing. Scooter asked me what's wrong, and Bubba kept saying, "sah-wee, mama!" like he did something really bad. I told them that I wasn't sad, but that Iwas just so happy. Scooter asked why, and I told her that I *thought* we won, and she might be able to move with us. We were standing in the rain in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in Chico, California, and I was crying and hugging the kids. I decided to move that mess inside. We went to the room, and in order to stop acting crazy and scaring the kids, I started packing up our stuff. Scooter and Bubba were laughing and hugging and running around the room. Scooter said, 'See, mom! I told you the judge would let me move with you!'
Ben came in, after realizing that he was also standing in the rain and we were no where to be found. He handed me the phone. There was much celebrating going on in Omaha on his end of the line. He had everyone in his office on a conference line with us. I was already crying when he told me the news himself. He said he'd send me an email with the documents from the judge to read over. It was just the opinion; we still had to draft the order for him to sign and get it filed with the state. If it were just us and the judge, my lawyer said he could get it done by early this week, however, we have to continue to work with the ex's lawyer for her review/sign off on the order, so it would take probably 3-4 weeks to complete. I asked if I could just keep Scooter out here until that was done, and he said I would need the ex's permission, but if he were smart, that wouldn't be a problem.
In the meantime, I had pulled up my email, opened the findings, and let Ben read through it. I turned on some cartoons for the kids, and Scooter was sitting nicely with her stuffed animals. Bubba was running and shreiking and laughing and trashing the hotel room like a rock star. At one point, he had climbed up on top of the desk. Standing on the desk, he started throwing it's contents around the room. He knocked a chair over. He stripped the beds of their bedding and pillows and scattered them around. It was time to get back on the road.
We hit rain and snow the whole way, and had to chain up again in Northern California. Again, as with the drive down, as soon as we were in Oregon, the sun was out and roads were dry. But the damage was done. We had lost 2 hours putting chains on and waiting in 2 checkpoint lines in California, and we didn't get home until after 9. But we were home. And we won. For the moment, anyway...
We got in around 8, and went promptly to bed. Tired kids + tired parents = sleepy time! Plus...there's not a whole lot to do in Chico at 8pm with 2 tired children. We got up on Thursday, drove the rental car to the transmission place, where we found out they came in about $300 under the estimate! yay!! We drove back to the hotel for free breakfast, and then over to the rental car place to drop off the car and move everything that was left in the rental over to our car, which was purring like a kitten.
Back at the hotel, we were cleaning up the car a little (we had just kind of thrown everything in from the rental) when my phone rang. It was buried in my backpack, and when I went to grab it out, I hit something, and the phone stopped ringing. I had no idea who had called. I looked up my missed calls and incoming calls, and they were both the ex, so I called him back. No answer. Whatever. We went back to consolidating the explosion in my car into neat(er) piles. Ben's phone rang. Nobody recognized the number, but Ben answered anyway. It was our lawyer. My ears perked up.
Ben: Yes?
Ben: And?
He gave me a thumbs up and a big smile. I didn't want to assume anything, but my stomach immediately turned over. He said, 'Wow. that's just great news.' And I lost it. I grabbed the kids and started sobbing. Scooter asked me what's wrong, and Bubba kept saying, "sah-wee, mama!" like he did something really bad. I told them that I wasn't sad, but that Iwas just so happy. Scooter asked why, and I told her that I *thought* we won, and she might be able to move with us. We were standing in the rain in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in Chico, California, and I was crying and hugging the kids. I decided to move that mess inside. We went to the room, and in order to stop acting crazy and scaring the kids, I started packing up our stuff. Scooter and Bubba were laughing and hugging and running around the room. Scooter said, 'See, mom! I told you the judge would let me move with you!'
Ben came in, after realizing that he was also standing in the rain and we were no where to be found. He handed me the phone. There was much celebrating going on in Omaha on his end of the line. He had everyone in his office on a conference line with us. I was already crying when he told me the news himself. He said he'd send me an email with the documents from the judge to read over. It was just the opinion; we still had to draft the order for him to sign and get it filed with the state. If it were just us and the judge, my lawyer said he could get it done by early this week, however, we have to continue to work with the ex's lawyer for her review/sign off on the order, so it would take probably 3-4 weeks to complete. I asked if I could just keep Scooter out here until that was done, and he said I would need the ex's permission, but if he were smart, that wouldn't be a problem.
In the meantime, I had pulled up my email, opened the findings, and let Ben read through it. I turned on some cartoons for the kids, and Scooter was sitting nicely with her stuffed animals. Bubba was running and shreiking and laughing and trashing the hotel room like a rock star. At one point, he had climbed up on top of the desk. Standing on the desk, he started throwing it's contents around the room. He knocked a chair over. He stripped the beds of their bedding and pillows and scattered them around. It was time to get back on the road.
We hit rain and snow the whole way, and had to chain up again in Northern California. Again, as with the drive down, as soon as we were in Oregon, the sun was out and roads were dry. But the damage was done. We had lost 2 hours putting chains on and waiting in 2 checkpoint lines in California, and we didn't get home until after 9. But we were home. And we won. For the moment, anyway...
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Happiest Place on Earth
Monday and Tuesday were spent at Disneyland. We got up early on Monday, ate breakfast and got ready for the day, and walked from our hotel to Disneyland in under 10 minutes - with kids and with me forgetting the tickets and Ben having to run back for them (oops). We breezed into the park with 15 minutes to wait until they let us roam free. We were coralled on main street and encouraged to shop, but we refrained in lieu of keeping our "place" in "line." At 9am sharp, the buzzer sounded, and the running of the bulls began...er...Disneyland officially opened to the public and everyone was very orderly in walking to their first attraction. I was only run over by one stroller. I managed to not run over anyone with our stroller.
Our first ride was the Finding Nemo submarines. When we were kids, this was the Captain Nemo 20,000 leagues under the sea ride. It's much, much cooler now, although there is a nod to the old ride in some of the crew commentary. We did a little research prior to our trip and concluded that if we wanted to ride the Nemo ride, it had to be done first thing. Those tipsters were correct. Shortly after our ride, the line was over an hour long. After that, we headed to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. This is perhaps the most fun ride to go on. Not only can you control your car's turning (left and right), but you also get to shoot targets. This is another ride that usually has long lines. We were extremely lucky to basically walk right in and sit down in our cars. We split 2 and 2 so that each person would be able to have a gun. Yeah, we're totally violent like that.
After that, we walked through Fantasyland on our way to Toon Town. In Fantasyland, the peter pan ride already had a 45 minute line, so we walked right into the Snow White ride and the Pinocchio ride. We then walked right into the It's a Small World ride. In all, we got in 5 rides in different areas in the park in the first hour we were there. Back in Toon Town, we explored Chip n' Dale's treehouse, and got a fastpass ticket for Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. We rode the Gadge Go-Coaster, which is a baby roller coaster (you have to be 35 inches to ride, Bubba is 36). We toured Mickey's house, and only waited for about 10 minutes to meet Mickey himself (photo to follow). Scooter was amazed that Mickey was wearing a suit, since every other time she sees him, he's only wearing yellow shoes and red shorts - no shirt. I told her that when Mickey has guests, he likes to dress up...?? Who knows.
When we were done meeting Mickey, Minnie was taking visitors in the street beside her house. The cast member who was working crowd control had already cut off the line to meet her, so we headed back to Roger Rabbit's ride. It started drizzling on our walk over. With our fastpass, we were able to walk right onto the ride. By the time we were done, it was full-fledged raining. Ben ran to get $26 worth of ponchos while the kids and I waited under a bridge. After that, we decided it was time for lunch and naps. We left the park and walked back to the hotel. After naps, it was sunny and beautiful out.
We headed back to the park, where we walked right into Pirates of the Caribbean and Scooter and I walked right into the Haunted Mansion. It started out scary (thanks, adult passengers), but turned out to be so fun that Scooter wanted to take her little brother on the ride again. We declined, and headed to Winnie the Pooh's ride.
We did some souvenier shopping, and ate some dinner, and enjoyed fire works and Casey Jr's train ride. We also hit Dumbo's flying ride and Mr. Toad's wild ride before heading home for the night.
The second morning was much like the first. On our walk over to the park, Ben removed his long-sleeved shirt from my backpack and I joked that I felt 10 pounds heavier. Scooter's response? "No. You look the same as you did yesterday, except your hair is frizzier." One thing about kids is that they'll always keep you grounded...
Tuesday at the park is an early-entrance day for certain ticket holders. That means that the park was already crowded when it "opened," and we had many more lines to stand in. We sucked it up and waited 30 minutes for the Peter Pan ride. We saw Peter flirting with park guests and running around while we were in line. After the ride, we spotted him again, and took off after him, but we couldn't catch him. It'd be cool to be Peter Pan. You never have to stop and talk to guests, and you're allowed to run in the park.
We hit up Autopia after our chase, and finished up what was left of Toon Town. We also hit the Jungle Cruise and the Enchanted Tiki room as well as got our fastpass tickets for Space Mountain before we left for lunch and naps. When we got our fastpass at 11am, they were already giving out return times of between 6 and 7pm. The wait in the regular line was 75 minutes.
After nap and some pool time, the park was still just as crowded as ever. We rode Space Mountain (Scooter, who "HATES" roller coasters LOVED it). Bubba wasn't allowed to ride, but we were able to use a baby-handoff ticket, which allowed Scooter to ride twice while Ben and I handed off our baby so we each could ride. They never confiscated our baby-handoff ticket, so in theory, we could have gone up the exit over and over again. We were honest, though, and did not.
Bubba could ride the Matterhorn with us, and he LOVED it. Scooter, surprisingly, was also impressed with the Matterhorn. Lovely! We filled our time with another ride on Pooh and then watched more fireworks and most of Fanstasmic, which I would highly recommend as a must-see. We snuck into Pirates again before the Fantasmic crowd rushed in, and then did some souvenier shopping and toured Sleeping Beauty's castle to round out the night. The one bummer was that about 1/2 way through Fantasmic, we realized that we were down wind from a couple of smokers who were lighting up in an un-authorized area. When Ben asked them about it, they were quite rude, and we ended up moving. Ugh. But overall, the Disneyland experience was all that we had hoped for. Wonderful!
Our first ride was the Finding Nemo submarines. When we were kids, this was the Captain Nemo 20,000 leagues under the sea ride. It's much, much cooler now, although there is a nod to the old ride in some of the crew commentary. We did a little research prior to our trip and concluded that if we wanted to ride the Nemo ride, it had to be done first thing. Those tipsters were correct. Shortly after our ride, the line was over an hour long. After that, we headed to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. This is perhaps the most fun ride to go on. Not only can you control your car's turning (left and right), but you also get to shoot targets. This is another ride that usually has long lines. We were extremely lucky to basically walk right in and sit down in our cars. We split 2 and 2 so that each person would be able to have a gun. Yeah, we're totally violent like that.
After that, we walked through Fantasyland on our way to Toon Town. In Fantasyland, the peter pan ride already had a 45 minute line, so we walked right into the Snow White ride and the Pinocchio ride. We then walked right into the It's a Small World ride. In all, we got in 5 rides in different areas in the park in the first hour we were there. Back in Toon Town, we explored Chip n' Dale's treehouse, and got a fastpass ticket for Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. We rode the Gadge Go-Coaster, which is a baby roller coaster (you have to be 35 inches to ride, Bubba is 36). We toured Mickey's house, and only waited for about 10 minutes to meet Mickey himself (photo to follow). Scooter was amazed that Mickey was wearing a suit, since every other time she sees him, he's only wearing yellow shoes and red shorts - no shirt. I told her that when Mickey has guests, he likes to dress up...?? Who knows.
When we were done meeting Mickey, Minnie was taking visitors in the street beside her house. The cast member who was working crowd control had already cut off the line to meet her, so we headed back to Roger Rabbit's ride. It started drizzling on our walk over. With our fastpass, we were able to walk right onto the ride. By the time we were done, it was full-fledged raining. Ben ran to get $26 worth of ponchos while the kids and I waited under a bridge. After that, we decided it was time for lunch and naps. We left the park and walked back to the hotel. After naps, it was sunny and beautiful out.
We headed back to the park, where we walked right into Pirates of the Caribbean and Scooter and I walked right into the Haunted Mansion. It started out scary (thanks, adult passengers), but turned out to be so fun that Scooter wanted to take her little brother on the ride again. We declined, and headed to Winnie the Pooh's ride.
We did some souvenier shopping, and ate some dinner, and enjoyed fire works and Casey Jr's train ride. We also hit Dumbo's flying ride and Mr. Toad's wild ride before heading home for the night.
The second morning was much like the first. On our walk over to the park, Ben removed his long-sleeved shirt from my backpack and I joked that I felt 10 pounds heavier. Scooter's response? "No. You look the same as you did yesterday, except your hair is frizzier." One thing about kids is that they'll always keep you grounded...
Tuesday at the park is an early-entrance day for certain ticket holders. That means that the park was already crowded when it "opened," and we had many more lines to stand in. We sucked it up and waited 30 minutes for the Peter Pan ride. We saw Peter flirting with park guests and running around while we were in line. After the ride, we spotted him again, and took off after him, but we couldn't catch him. It'd be cool to be Peter Pan. You never have to stop and talk to guests, and you're allowed to run in the park.
We hit up Autopia after our chase, and finished up what was left of Toon Town. We also hit the Jungle Cruise and the Enchanted Tiki room as well as got our fastpass tickets for Space Mountain before we left for lunch and naps. When we got our fastpass at 11am, they were already giving out return times of between 6 and 7pm. The wait in the regular line was 75 minutes.
After nap and some pool time, the park was still just as crowded as ever. We rode Space Mountain (Scooter, who "HATES" roller coasters LOVED it). Bubba wasn't allowed to ride, but we were able to use a baby-handoff ticket, which allowed Scooter to ride twice while Ben and I handed off our baby so we each could ride. They never confiscated our baby-handoff ticket, so in theory, we could have gone up the exit over and over again. We were honest, though, and did not.
Bubba could ride the Matterhorn with us, and he LOVED it. Scooter, surprisingly, was also impressed with the Matterhorn. Lovely! We filled our time with another ride on Pooh and then watched more fireworks and most of Fanstasmic, which I would highly recommend as a must-see. We snuck into Pirates again before the Fantasmic crowd rushed in, and then did some souvenier shopping and toured Sleeping Beauty's castle to round out the night. The one bummer was that about 1/2 way through Fantasmic, we realized that we were down wind from a couple of smokers who were lighting up in an un-authorized area. When Ben asked them about it, they were quite rude, and we ended up moving. Ugh. But overall, the Disneyland experience was all that we had hoped for. Wonderful!
Driving rain
I haven't blogged in a week. Sorry about that. I was off galavanting along the west coast. Ben picked up Scooter for spring break on Friday after school, and they flew back here together. Saturday, we took off for Disneyland. We waited until after the breakfast stop to tell Scooter the news. I'll have to post video of her reaction later.
We hit snow in the Cascades in northern California. We had to put tire chains on my car. I've never done that before, and it wasn't fun or comfortable. I had wet pants for the rest of the day. That's not the worst of it. Our transmission crapped out somewhere just south of the mountains. Actually, we were right next to a rest stop near Orland, CA. Ben never could remember the name of that town. We called Les Schwab, mostly because they were open and they have a reputation of being extremely service-oriented. Also, we thought at the time that our new brakes were the problem, since the engine idled fine, went into all the gears with no issue, and really only sounded like it had a problem when we were braking. Les directed us to a towing company, and Ben, Scooter, Bubba and I had our first ride in a giant big-rig tow truck. He took us to Les Schwab, and we sat in their waiting area for about 2 hours. Maybe closer to 3 hours. Either way, the poor employees of that tire and brake company had to listen and watch as 2 stir crazy children wreaked havoc on their waiting area. All the other garages in town were closed. There was only 1 car rental company open on Sunday, and that was in Chico, CA (about 25 miles away). We got everything out of our car, hopped into a taxi and took off for Chico. Les Schwab doesn't do tranmission service, but they diagnosed the problem, and coordinated the storage and transport of our car to the transmission mechanic in our absence on Sunday so we could still go to Disneyland with the kids - for free. Kudos to them!
Sunday, we got up, and Ben walked almost 2 miles to the car rental place. It didn't open until 9am, so we got kind of a late start. We drove through crazy rain all the way to our hotel in Anaheim. Reports of people not being able to drive in rain in Southern California are not exaggerated. We saw a truck who had driven off the interstate and 1/2 way down a 400 foot drop off for no reason. We also heard a radio report of a driver who had mistakenly driven his car off an overpass onto another interstate below, causing traffic delays on 2 separate highways. We still somehow made it to our hotel, and soon after, were graced with the presence (and presents) of two dear friends. An exciting drive down, for sure! You might think that Disneyland would pale in comparison...
We hit snow in the Cascades in northern California. We had to put tire chains on my car. I've never done that before, and it wasn't fun or comfortable. I had wet pants for the rest of the day. That's not the worst of it. Our transmission crapped out somewhere just south of the mountains. Actually, we were right next to a rest stop near Orland, CA. Ben never could remember the name of that town. We called Les Schwab, mostly because they were open and they have a reputation of being extremely service-oriented. Also, we thought at the time that our new brakes were the problem, since the engine idled fine, went into all the gears with no issue, and really only sounded like it had a problem when we were braking. Les directed us to a towing company, and Ben, Scooter, Bubba and I had our first ride in a giant big-rig tow truck. He took us to Les Schwab, and we sat in their waiting area for about 2 hours. Maybe closer to 3 hours. Either way, the poor employees of that tire and brake company had to listen and watch as 2 stir crazy children wreaked havoc on their waiting area. All the other garages in town were closed. There was only 1 car rental company open on Sunday, and that was in Chico, CA (about 25 miles away). We got everything out of our car, hopped into a taxi and took off for Chico. Les Schwab doesn't do tranmission service, but they diagnosed the problem, and coordinated the storage and transport of our car to the transmission mechanic in our absence on Sunday so we could still go to Disneyland with the kids - for free. Kudos to them!
Sunday, we got up, and Ben walked almost 2 miles to the car rental place. It didn't open until 9am, so we got kind of a late start. We drove through crazy rain all the way to our hotel in Anaheim. Reports of people not being able to drive in rain in Southern California are not exaggerated. We saw a truck who had driven off the interstate and 1/2 way down a 400 foot drop off for no reason. We also heard a radio report of a driver who had mistakenly driven his car off an overpass onto another interstate below, causing traffic delays on 2 separate highways. We still somehow made it to our hotel, and soon after, were graced with the presence (and presents) of two dear friends. An exciting drive down, for sure! You might think that Disneyland would pale in comparison...
Friday, March 18, 2011
Disaster
So I realize that I'm totally self-absorbed. I would venture a guess that any blogger that writes about their own life is at least a little self-absorbed. That's the concept, and although I do try to self-censor (by not posting my children's actual names, by not writing as detailed as I would - or do - in my regular journal, etc) I am still writing about what's going on in my life. So...it's going to be all about me. And me right now is completely obsessed with the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster in Japan.
I'm not really sure why. I mean, I do have Japanese ancestry, but I don't personally have family that I know in Japan. I'm not a scholar on Japan. I don't pretend to be any expert on their culture or history (although I can make a mean miso and roll a fairly good spicy tuna roll). But I am feeling very deeply for the people of Japan. I feel more emotionally involved than I did during the Haitian crisis last year, and even more involved than I did about the Katrina hurricane, which struck the US.
I've been trying to figure out why I'm so moved by these series of events. Part of me thinks it's because I've visited Japan. Except...I only visited Tokyo (and Camp Zama about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo). I thought perhaps it had something to do with my ancestry. But let's be honest...do 1/2 Germans, with 4 generations between them and immigration really feel that strong a tie to Germany? I doubt it.
I think I actually feel this strongly because of stories like this. It's how I've been feeling for the past 6 months. I just want my family back, and it feels hopeless sometimes, but I'm still going.
And since I do feel so strongly, I would be remiss if I didn't post a way for everyone else to help the people of Japan. The pace of donations to aid organizations is much slower for Japan than it was for Haiti last year. It's disheartening. I've given what we can (which isn't much considering the house payment, rent, storage space, child support, daycare and flights back and forth to Omaha...). You should, too.
I'm not really sure why. I mean, I do have Japanese ancestry, but I don't personally have family that I know in Japan. I'm not a scholar on Japan. I don't pretend to be any expert on their culture or history (although I can make a mean miso and roll a fairly good spicy tuna roll). But I am feeling very deeply for the people of Japan. I feel more emotionally involved than I did during the Haitian crisis last year, and even more involved than I did about the Katrina hurricane, which struck the US.
I've been trying to figure out why I'm so moved by these series of events. Part of me thinks it's because I've visited Japan. Except...I only visited Tokyo (and Camp Zama about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo). I thought perhaps it had something to do with my ancestry. But let's be honest...do 1/2 Germans, with 4 generations between them and immigration really feel that strong a tie to Germany? I doubt it.
I think I actually feel this strongly because of stories like this. It's how I've been feeling for the past 6 months. I just want my family back, and it feels hopeless sometimes, but I'm still going.
And since I do feel so strongly, I would be remiss if I didn't post a way for everyone else to help the people of Japan. The pace of donations to aid organizations is much slower for Japan than it was for Haiti last year. It's disheartening. I've given what we can (which isn't much considering the house payment, rent, storage space, child support, daycare and flights back and forth to Omaha...). You should, too.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Coming Clean
I watch a lot of TV. I'll admit it. Ben and I put the boy to bed, and for the next couple of hours (or sometimes, just one), I'll sit in front of the tube and veg out. Monday, nothing is on, and it's a struggle to find something worth watching. Tuesday is the Biggest Loser. Wednesday is The Middle and Modern Family night. Thursday is Community, The Office, and 30 Rock. There's some dumb show in between during which I usually clean the kitchen or shower. Friday? Either Suppernanny or we just go to bed. By Friday, we're usually pretty tired.
Well, anyway, a few weeks ago, there was an episode of The Middle in which it comes to light that the main character told her (now) husband that she had liked a certain movie (Resevoir Dogs) that they saw on their first date. It was the reason why he asked her out for a second one. She, in "real" life, hated the movie, and almost didn't go on that second date b/c what kind of guy would like that movie. She admitted, after years of marriage, that she hated that movie, and hilarity ensued. It got me to thinking...
When Ben and I first started dating, he recommended that I read a book - one of his favorites. It was The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. It was an extremely well written book, yes. But I didn't like it. At the time, I told him it was good, but I found it to be boring. I mostly found it so because it was hard for me to read. Don't get me wrong, I'm an intelligent (so I like to think) person, but for some reason, the book seemed too lofty a read for me. I slogged through the whole book because I'm the kind of person, who once I commit to something, likes to see things through to the end. I came clean last night.
Ben was flabbergasted. I didn't like it?! Luckily, he didn't base our relationship on my liking that book (unlike 'The Bachelor,' on which he totally could have not selected me for a rose based on that fact...).
I've found a new way to walk to work. I've been walking that route to work for a few weeks, now, and I think it's faster. I just started walking that way home from work yesterday. Every street either has a stop sign or light with a cross walk, which, if timed correctly, I can walk through without a stop. Portland really is walker-friendly.
Today on my lunch walk, I went past a vintage clothing store that I found on Monday. After 3 days of it being closed (for lunch?) during my walk, it was open today. I didn't stop in, though, as I decided to do a quick walk rather than a long lunch and I didn't want to take the time. I will go in someday, though. It looks like a cool little store. They had a sign posted on their door today advertising a concert/private party (byob). I thought it was hilarious that they'd post a by-invitation-only party in a public place. Hey! Here's a party that you're not invited to. Just thought you should know...
Well, anyway, a few weeks ago, there was an episode of The Middle in which it comes to light that the main character told her (now) husband that she had liked a certain movie (Resevoir Dogs) that they saw on their first date. It was the reason why he asked her out for a second one. She, in "real" life, hated the movie, and almost didn't go on that second date b/c what kind of guy would like that movie. She admitted, after years of marriage, that she hated that movie, and hilarity ensued. It got me to thinking...
When Ben and I first started dating, he recommended that I read a book - one of his favorites. It was The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. It was an extremely well written book, yes. But I didn't like it. At the time, I told him it was good, but I found it to be boring. I mostly found it so because it was hard for me to read. Don't get me wrong, I'm an intelligent (so I like to think) person, but for some reason, the book seemed too lofty a read for me. I slogged through the whole book because I'm the kind of person, who once I commit to something, likes to see things through to the end. I came clean last night.
Ben was flabbergasted. I didn't like it?! Luckily, he didn't base our relationship on my liking that book (unlike 'The Bachelor,' on which he totally could have not selected me for a rose based on that fact...).
I've found a new way to walk to work. I've been walking that route to work for a few weeks, now, and I think it's faster. I just started walking that way home from work yesterday. Every street either has a stop sign or light with a cross walk, which, if timed correctly, I can walk through without a stop. Portland really is walker-friendly.
Today on my lunch walk, I went past a vintage clothing store that I found on Monday. After 3 days of it being closed (for lunch?) during my walk, it was open today. I didn't stop in, though, as I decided to do a quick walk rather than a long lunch and I didn't want to take the time. I will go in someday, though. It looks like a cool little store. They had a sign posted on their door today advertising a concert/private party (byob). I thought it was hilarious that they'd post a by-invitation-only party in a public place. Hey! Here's a party that you're not invited to. Just thought you should know...
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