Recently in Hum Drum Category

It's Sunday morning. T is playing his drums and singing the ABC's. This is a regular gig for him, one he did with much fanfare at the Oregon State Fair a few weeks back. An entire tent of people applauded his performance, while I laughed so hard I cried. I really think this kid has a rock star streak. Look out, Mama.

So much is going on right now that it's hard to keep up. Still, at the end of the day it boils down to the basics: getting T in his jam jams, reading some bedtime stories, putting the little man to bed. He is loud and crazy and difficult at times, but he is a treasure all the same. I am so proud of the boy he is becoming, and sometimes I can't help but wonder where the time has gone.

In other news, I recently made the decision to start going back to school. I love school and honestly don't feel totally well if not pursuing something academic. My last few years of classes were sort of random (linguistics), but now I aim to do something concrete that leads to an actual career path. I am very much blessed in that my employer has agreed to be flexible with me, and we have worked out an arrangement where I will continue to work full-time. Twice per week, I will have class in the morning. The other three mornings, I am required to get in by 7:30. All days of the week, I am to work through lunch, with a hard stop at 5 to get Mr. T.

The timing is intense, but it will cut back to something a little more reasonable in January. School is on a quarter system, so I need to make it through three months of crazy. I know I can do it. I am a little nervous, but it will go fine. I got my textbooks the other day. One class is Neurology, the other is Anatomy and Physiology. The combination means I suddenly have many atlases of the human body in my possession.

A huge part of being able to do this is having someone supporting me in my endeavors. I never realized how little support I received from Teo's dad, both emotionally and just in the daily things. It makes such a difference to have someone who is not only behind me but also excited for me, and who is willing to help out with basics like cooking dinner and taking out the trash. It really is amazing what a difference that makes -- not feeling like you're going into something completely alone.

Anyway, I am both excited and nervous. For now, T and I are going to spend Sunday in the park with a new friend. School starts in a week. Wish me luck.

Are my comments working? Has everyone disappeared? I am back now that we have moved into our house and I got my wireless hooked up.

Know what? Things are good.

Pictures to come. I apologize for the delay. I think people always underestimate how busy things get when a move is involved. The amount of time I have to organize, unpack, rewire, etc is limited by work and child. I feel like I am always on overdrive -- not in a bad way, but in a very noticeable, constant, and rewarding way.

There has been sunshine here the last few days. Good for the soul. Also? I got called in to pick up the Tater on Friday afternoon because he was crying uncontrollably at day care (turns out four days without poop is not fun), and so I made up the hours of work I missed this evening. Working on a Saturday night was weirdly more enjoyable than I thought it would be. It's nice to be in my house, doing my thing.

I had some vacation days left over that I had to use up before the end of the year, so I am taking this entire week off of work.

Teo is in his new day care (more on that in a moment) and I am absolutely ASTOUNDED at the taste of sweet, sweet freedom I get to experience for the next four days. Eight uninterrupted hours to do whatever I like? No child to wrestle in the grocery store? Does this mean I can go sit in a cafe and - gasp! - read???

Well, yes. Except that I spent yesterday at the walk-in clinic, where I waited two hours to see a doctor. I have had a cough that just won't go anywhere, and it has gotten bad enough since Sunday evening that it is waking me (and Teo) up at night. Yesterday morning, I started coughing so hard I almost threw up. I am scared to go somewhere quiet to read, when I am instead loudly hacking in the corner. There is no phlegm or anything - this is a dry, painful cough - so I thought it was nothing more than a cold, but the warnings on the packages say if a cough persists for more than a week, go see someone. The doctor gave me antiobiotics and said that if it's not better by Thursday, I could have walking pneumonia or adult whooping cough. Hilarious.

I feel fine, except that I can't stop coughing. It's amazing how disruptive constant and painful coughing can be to your daily routine. So, to get me through to Thursday, the doctor gave me super powerful cough syrup. The prescription should be ready by now, so I am going to get jiggy with that over the next 48 hours. Also -- NEWS FLASH: over-the-counter cough syrup doesn't work. Verified by my doctor. So stop buying the stuff.

I will, instead, have codeine-powered cough syrup, which means I will probably just zen out extra hard. But, if it will give my poor throat a break, I am all about it. My ribs actually hurt from the coughing, as do my abs.

Health issues aside, here are my projects for this week. Because, yes, this is vacation, so God forbid I relax:

I received a phone call today that Teo was next up on the wait list at a daycare we had toured in April. It is a perfectly fine and respectable day care, and he is going to make the switch in two weeks.

I love where Mateo is now -- it's an amazing day care and the teachers are fantastic. But, it is 20 minutes out of my way each morning, and another 20 or more added to my commute on the way home each night. I have to cross to the other side of the river and make my way through downtown to drop him off and pick him up. Also? It's expensive.

This other place? Well, it happens to be four blocks from my house. And it happens to be almost $300 less per month. And? And? It's where his cousin Howie goes.

This is going to make my life so much easier. That money is going to revolutionize things. And I'll save money on gas. And I'll be able to get to work earlier. Maybe I'll even be able to work from home some days. Oh good God, what a glorious day.

So many things to do. So little time.

I swear it's still September. And here we are: end of November.

Every Friday, I get a little giddy at the idea of chipping away at my to-do list. It is so very long. Inevitably, every Sunday, I take tabs on my progress and get a little discouraged. I have so many things I would so love to do, and just no time to do them.

But, but. Today I managed to finally replace the two burned out light bulbs (of three) that have been haunting my bedroom light. Good God, my room is no longer the dungeon of despair! I had two table lamps and they just weren't doing the trick. Now? Bright cheery goodness, all around.

I came back from France with a renewed vigor to make my home fully and completely my home. You know what, though? That adds A LOT to the already extensive list.

And finally, a Teo tidbit: two new teeth on the bottom -- check. Two teeth popping through up top? - Check. By the end of this week, I suspect my boy will be all done with evraythin but them molars.

So I feel old now.

I can't believe that this time last year, I was sitting around my kitchen table with some of my closest friends in Paris. Mateo was a few months old and sleeping in the bedroom; the four of us had a lovely dinner and champagne.

Today, I spent my birthday at the office. Two coworkers took me out for a most fabulous lunch, another coworker bought me a cupcake. I went to class, stopped by mom and dad's, picked up Mateo, ate some food. Low-key, no complaints.

But wow -- I am in such a different space now than where I was a year ago.

I wonder where I will be this time next year. It seems that 25 is going to be an exciting year, every year.

This week has been insane and I am so grateful for the upcoming weekend.

On Monday, I started a new class at the university. I'm testing the waters somewhat, and I am also giving myself something other than my job and my son to think about. It's "me time" and something I really, really feel I have needed. Mateo is fifteen months old and this is a first for me.

So far, the class is great. It is thrilling to be back in an American university setting. The enthusiasm is palpable. There are over 100 people in the class, and my professor is still making every effort she can to get us actively participating. This energy was something I always missed in French universities, and it's such a breath of fresh air. Plus, the topic is interesting and familiar territory to me, so I am feeling pretty low-key about the whole thing. People in Portland are also crazy nice; throwing in the conviviality typical of university settings just makes the niceness scale go off the charts.

I am thankful to my parents for helping me out with this. The class is in the evenings, twice per week, so they are picking Mateo up on those days and feeding him dinner. I wouldn't be able to do this without them, or at least not without paying a babysitter and what not.

Starting the class has added a bit of stress to the week, though, mainly because the routine is not yet in place. Work has also been crazy, as a few last-minute projects cropped up and I found myself working at an insane pace most of the week. Adding outside craziness was... well... crazy. On Monday, I had to figure out where the class was. On Tuesday after work, I picked up Mateo and the two of us went through the joy of textbook-buying after hours. Wednesday, class again. Today, Thursday, I left work early to take Mateo to the doctor for a check up. So tomorrow? Friday?

I will do my work and then relax. Right after I get my online account activated during my lunch break. I am going to try riding the office bike over to the university-- I think I'm going to bike to classes to avoid insane parking fees and the general chaos of finding a spot. Plus, hey! Twenty extra minutes of exercise.