Archive for November, 2009
Nov
Surprise Visit
What a surprise last week when Drew’s dad called to say he was going to be in NYC this week! He wanted to find out what day would be best to come up for a visit. His wife (Drew’s stepmom) does a lot of work in New Jersey, even though they live in Miami. We’ve gone on Florida vacations before to visit them, but with a six-month-old, travelling would not be easy. So it’s great that we get to see him like this. And even better is that Jake has a half-day of school on Thursday so he’ll be able to visit with him for a while before he needs to leave. I always enjoy having guests at our home, so I’m looking forward to his visit!
Nov
Designer Heinie
The other day I was thrilled to weigh myself and find that I’d finally (finally!) cracked the 140s. I’ve been at a weight loss plateau for a while so this really made my day. still have a good 10 lbs. to lose until I’ll be happy but with the holiday season upon us, I’m not going to stress too hard about it until the new year. I promised myself that if I achieve my weight loss goal, I’m going to buy a pair of really great jeans. Maybe I’ll even splurge on a pair of something upscale like Hudson jeans, instead of Levi’s.
Nov
That Ain’t Country
The other day my six-year-old asked me what country music is. We listen to a lot of music in this house, but it tends to be mostly jazz/blues/folk/indie rock. There’s not a whole lot of left my wife/lost my dog/now I’m looking forNashville apartments twang going on here. And that’s when we realized that it really is hard to explain to Jake *what* country music is. Is it the crappy pseudo banjo-rock that passes these days? You know, the Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Shania Twain, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland type of stuff. Or would we be better off explaining it as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, etc.? Real country that I can actually listen to without wanting to stick an ice pick in my ear. In the end, we talked about both types and when we were at a restaurant and heard some modern country, we pointed it out to Jake. And then we explained that these days, unfortunately, it’s all about the money and less about the music. And that’s really too bad.
Nov
Workin’ It
So yesterday while doing a newspaper interview I tried to do a little wheelin’ and dealin’ myself. The business owner I was speaking with has a domain purchased for her business, but nothing up there yet. Apparently everyone she’s spoken with wants to charge her through the nose for a simple Web site. That didn’t surprise me since a lot of designers think they’re God’s gift. I thought I’d throw out the fact that my husband does Web design on the side and maybe she’d be interested in just talking with him. He certainly wouldn’t be asking what some of these other guys are. He just does basic design and maintenance. If someone wants to submit their site to various Web directories like http://onewaytextlink.com, they can, but he just focusses on basics — getting the site up there. I think it’s becoming more important for small, local businesses to have a Web presence. I know that every time I get a story assignment, the first thing I do is look them up online. So we’ll see. It would be good for everyone if she followed up with him!
Nov
Christmas shopping
So have you all started your Christmas yet? We are mostly done. Laura needs a couple gifts, but the boys are shopped for. I’ve been trying to get a peek at the Black Friday ads. I wonder what the hot items will be this year… GPS devices, plasma tvs, digital video cameras or maybe nothing high-end? I don’t know. Depending on what the big-ticket items are I may or may not head out super early the day after Thanksgiving. There are a couple electronics I have in mind, and the right price would make it worthwhile to get up at the crack of dawn!
Nov
Seeking Spotless Floors
A few months ago I was going back and forth on buying a steam mop. We have tile flooring in our kitchen, three bathrooms, and in the entryway/hallway. I find it such a chore to clean them and need an easier way. I thought I’d decided to get the Shark Deluxe, but… I don’t know. It’s a lot of money. But I’ve read such good reviews and several of my friends love their Shark mops. At this point I’ll probably never make a decision because I’m so cheap when it comes to these things. What I like is that they don’t use chemicals. Maybe if I have a really good week freelancing I’ll go for it.
Nov
A Long Soak
I’ve been craving a long soak in our Jacuzzi tub. Unfortunately, I’ve just been too tired at night to fill it up and enjoy it. But there’s nothing like a long, hot bath to make the cares of the day just disappear. I shall never tire of baths. When I’m old I’ll get one of those walk in tubs if I need to. The only thing is, I’d hate to be cold sitting there waiting for it to fill up! But that’s a small price to pay, I guess. Laura’s been going through a phase where she’s waking often at night, so basically when she goes to bed, so do I. But hopefully it will be short-lived and I can get back to my ritual Sunday night baths. Such a great way to end the weekend and start a new week!