As Promised

Baby photo loot!

For your comparison: 1st birthday followed by 2nd birthday. My but hasn't she grown.

In fact, she is off the charts for height. :) She's over 3 feet tall at barely 2 years old.

She was an enthusiastic participant in the consumption of cake. Note the pink "Hello Kitty" towel set resting to one side of the highchair in the 2nd photo, courtesy of her very indulgent Grandma. :)

Isn't it about time I blogged?

All right, J.Po, here's your post. Happy?! :)

I have more photos but can't post them because I'm at work. It is my intent to load them tomorrow... Friday was the baby's 2nd birthday and cuteness rained down on us like, well, rain, owing to the presence of cousins ages nearly 6, 2.5 years, and 14 months. Plus of course Delia, who was very dedicated to the activity at hand, i.e. receiving homages to her delightfulness. There was cake, ice cream, gifts, cards, humor, pathos, we laughed, we cried, it became a part of us. More on that tomorrow, with photos. I promise. ... Er, unless I get too busy. We have a full day of library story time in the morning, followed by my personal trainer appt. at the insane time of 1pm (square in the middle of nappy time, why did I agree to this?!).

I got into my other class and the torture begins on June 28th. My mother has offered to pay for books soI am going to scour the internet for alternate sources than the college bookstore, which as we all know is a total racket. Maybe it's not so much at this small college as it was at MegaStateUniversity where I got my bachelor's lo these many years ago... and maybe by the time you pay postage it's not as great a thing, but I can try. Mom's pretty comfy these days but I don't want to waste anyone's money.

Hammy McHamerson

I am pretty much posting today just as an excuse to load a photo or two of the young one, simply for the reason that I like to look at her and thought you might also. Is she not splendid? Yes, yes she is. Enjoy.

Meaningless Drivel

So. It begins! (ominous fanfare) Should any of my faithless reader(s) take sick, it is advised that they do so outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Went to an Informational Meeting on Monday and was Informed that it would be necessary to submit admission paperwork the following day (which would be yesterday) in order to register Wednesday (which is today). Dutifully did as advised and then visited the advisor as also advised to receive advice. Have been admitted and advised. Sweet!

Then, having done everything I was told to do, also dutifully arose from my too-short post-work slumber (about three hours) to sit before this very machine and register at 4 o'clock in the morning, only to find that I was unable to log in. Gaaaah!

Okay, first of all, what kind of sadist sets the online registration to begin in the middle of the damn night when there are no operators standing by should you experience technical difficulties? I want names, people. I have some very tersely worded letters to write concerning this matter, and I mean terse, using words such as miffed, chagrined, inconvenienced, and even quite peeved.

I mean, I had gone to great pains. Great. Pains. I had written all my little numbers and codes on post-its so I could fill in the little online forms rapidly and with ease. I had left the machine running and even pre-lit the lamp so that I could see through my cobwebby sleep-deprived eyes. I had tested my wristwatch alarm to see if it still worked (it did not) so that if necessary I could use the clock radio and then painstakingly re-set it to J's wake time, to be sure to make this insane 4am registration time. I was so on top of my game, people! I was hypervigilant! Super efficient! I was like a normal person instead of myself!

Instead, I found that my login could not be completed because "(0014) critcal data missing -- contact Registration." So not only was I unable to login, the message telling me so contained a typo! Oh the humanity! I left several logy, unintelligible messages with various departments informing them of my dilemma and returned to bed, steaming mad and completely at the mercy of whatever featureless, heartless trolls might be manning the phones at the Admissions, Registration and Advising departments.

I am happy to say that despite my blackness of heart and utter lack of faith, all has ended fairly well. Every single one of those departments returned my calls well before their published hours of operation and I was registered for one of the classes and first on the waitlist of the other by 10am. So, the summer won't be wasted after all (you know, on things like having fun and relaxing) and with luck I'll have Nutrition and Microbiology behind me by the end of August.

My hat is off to you, small local college offering state-of-the-art nursing program facilities and personalized service the likes of which this jaded big state university alumna has never experienced before. And the parking is free!!!!

Put an X

Found this on some random blog. Rather than send it to my friends I thought I'd keep them as my friends and post it on my blog instead...

Put an X by the things you've done and send it to your friends.
( ) Smoked a Cigarette. (...er, not a tobacco one...)
( ) Crashed a friend's car.
( ) Stolen a car.
(x) Been loved, cuddled with, or treated like you belonged.
(x) Been in love.
( ) Shoplifted on a dare.
( ) Been fired.
( ) Been in a fist fight.
(x) Snuck out of your parents house. (My Dad's house, as an adult! Ask if you haven't heard this riveting tale...)
(x) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back.
( ) Been Arrested.
( ) Gone on a blind date.
( ) Lied to a friend.
(x) Skipped school.
(x) Seen someone die or dying. (Words fail me.)
( ) Had a crush on one of your internet friends.
(x) Been to Europe.
(x) Been on a plane.
( ) Purposely set a part of yourself on fire. (!!! Why would you do this?!)
(x) Eaten Sushi. (but not the actual raw fish kind)
(x) Been skiing.
(x) Met someone in person from the internet. (Mostly just Craigslisters I sold stuff to.)
( ) Been moshing at a concert.
(x) Taken painkillers. (For a bona-fide injury, and they were prescribed to me.)
(x) Loved someone or missed someone.
(x) Laid on your back and watched the clouds.
(x) Made a snow angel.
( ) Had a tea party.
(x) Flown a kite.
(x) Built a Sand Castle.
(x) Gone puddle jumping.
( ) Played Dress up
(x) Jumped into a pile of leaves.
(x) Gone Sledding.
( ) Cheated while playing a game.
(x) Been lonely.
( ) Fallen asleep at work/school.
( ) Used A Fake ID.
(x) Watched the sun set.
(x) Felt an Earthquake
(x) Touched a snake.
(x) Slept beneath the stars.
(x) Been Tickled.
(x) Been Robbed. (Twice.)
(x) Been Misunderstood.
(x) Won a contest.
(x) Ran a red light
( )Been suspended from school. (I was made to sit in the hall once, however.)
(x)Been in a car.
(x)Had braces.
(x) Felt like an outcast.
(x) Liked the way you looked. (For about ten minutes, when I was 21 and weighed 135 lbs.)
(x) questioned your heart.
(x)Been obsessed with a lot of different things.
( ) Squished barefoot through the mud.
(x) Been lost in life. (God, when haven't I.)
(x) Been to the opposite side of the country.
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Felt like Dying. (But not like killing myself -- tough to pull off, so here I am.)
(x)Cried yourself to sleep.
( ) Played cops and robbers.
(x) Recently colored with crayons. (One of the many joys of having a toddler!)
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't. (This mostly involves eating fatty things.)
( ) Made prank phone calls.
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out your nose. [gross!]
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue.
( )Danced in the rain.
( ) Written a letter to Santa.
( ) Been kissed under the Mistletoe
(x) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles.
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach.
( ) Crashed a party.
(x) Gone Rollerskating.
(x) Had a wish come true
(x) Worn Pearls. (High school prom, I still have the pearls in a drawer.)
( ) Jumped off a bridge.
( ) Ate Dog/Cat Food.
( ) believe(ed) in ghosts. (Though I did feel something once I couldn't explain.)
( ) Have more than 30 pairs of shoes.
( )Worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what people would say. (Er, not on purpose...)
( ) Gone streaking.
() Gone doorbell ditching
( ) Played Chicken.
( ) Pushed into a pool/hot tub with all your clothes on.
(x) Been told you're hot by a complete stranger. (During those ten minutes when I was 21 etc.)
(x) Broken a bone. (Um, several.)
(x) Been easily Amused. (Pretty much every day.)
(x) Caught a fish then ate it.
( ) Caught a butterfly
(x) Laughed so hard you cried.
( ) Cried so hard you laughed.
( ) Cheated on a test.
( )Have a Britney Spears CD. (Thank God I can say no to this one.)
(x) Forgotten someone's name.
( ) French braided someone's hair.
( ) Gone skinny dipping.
( ) Been threatened to be kicked out of your house.
( ) Been kicked out of your house.
(x) Been hit by a car
( ) Told a complete stranger you loved them.
(x)Had a dream that you married someone. (Well, that John Cleese asked me to marry him in an elevator; close enough I think.) (PS I said yes!)
( )Glued your hand to something.
( ) Got your tongue stuck to a pole.
(x) Sat on a roof top.
(x) Sang at the top of your lungs (only where no one can hear me such as in the car)
(x) talked on the phone for at least 3 hours straight.
(x) Didn't take a shower for a week. (In my defense, I was backpacking.)
( ) Had a tree house.
( ) been too scared to watch a scary movie alone
(x) been in love that you couldnt stop thinkin about her/him
( ) used a friend
(x)Acted stupid (When don't I?)

So, it looks like since I haven't been fired, kicked out of my house, set myself on fire, etc etc, I must live a pretty dull life. However, I have:
Given birth
Gotten several tattoos, one of which is pretty large and hurt quite a lot, thank you very much
Been to Nome, Alaska
Driven the Al-Can (though that isn't the ordeal it once was)
Lived in Communist Russia, and ridden a ferris wheel in Gorky Park in the snow
Nearly completed a triathlon
Driven a school bus
Made bagels by hand for a living
Appeared in a swimsuit in front of actual triathletes
Ridden a motorcycle in a full set of custom-made Langlitz leathers
Given money to friends who needed it, with no intent of accepting it back
Taken money from friends when I needed it, with no way to thank them enough
Asked my Dad if his arms were just painted on, that he couldn't dial a phone to call me
Experienced total contentment -- it's fleeting, and elusive, and worth the struggle.