The View From Kalamazoo

There are bad weeks.

There are bad days in bad weeks.

This morning I dropped my coffee in the parking lot, and I was sad. Annoyed. Cursing this bad week and my sinus headache and getting no sleep…and now no coffee.

Then, a friend in the building shared this charming bit with me, and I just..can’t..stop..laughing.

The day has got to get better, now.

So I’m sore today. Yesterday I upped my reps on just about everything, and while I’m usually able to push my lower body harder and end up sore, today I’m feeling it more in my upper back. I managed to lose 1/2 lb. of the lb. I gained on the date weekend, so yesterday’s weight was 268.

Catching up – I need to be better about water (have been *terrible* the last week or so) and pay closer attention to my diet – I’ve been busy, stressed, and eating dinner too late in the evening to be healthy. I should talk to Em’s ped. about her dosing again – the second dose of Adderall wears off right after dinnertime. On nights she has homework I have to sit down with her immediately after getting home (no sooner than 5:30 on a good day) THEN make dinner or there’s no chance at the homework at all. In the middle of this I have to get something together for Colin and let him nibble on little ravioli’s or something while I’m working with her because he comes home hungry – needless to say I end up eating after homework, after they eat, after Em gets ready for bed and gets her Clonidine…
*sigh*
We need to be able to do homework. I need to talk to him about a non-XR for those evenings when there’s an assignment or reading books sent home – we worked on it when her dose was wearing off and she burst into tears after we tried and tried and tried and said she didn’t have her medicine and couldn’t read! That frustration is too much for her. And me.

Meet Razanne. There was a need, it’s been filled. Put her on your Eid Mubarak shopping list for the little girl in your life!

It’s a religion-specific doll wonderland out there. I still like this one. Hey, we have fluffy Wiccan Barbie, a Muslim, pseudo-Barbie…and apparently Barbie is Jewish, anyway. Who knew? (last time I checked Ken is NOT packaged with a yarmulke)

They’re not gonna take it anymore!

Best summation yet, thanks to H.D. Miller.

Bri pointed me towards this happy factoid:

“Passed in April by the Arkansas General Assembly, Act 1220 of 2003 has only recently become an issue as parents get their children prepared for the first day of school Monday.

The law demands that school personnel figure each studentÂ’s body mass index — calculated using a formula that uses height and weight and compares it to other children — for inclusion on the studentÂ’s report card each year. Schools are also required to provide pamphlets and other materials that explain the health effects of the body mass index.”

Just what we need – another example of educators PLAYING DOCTOR rather than EDUCATING. Hey, fat kids aren’t picked on enough in school! Why let their peers have all the fun?!?

This weekend had a date with my husband. Whoda’thunk’it?

My folks came in Friday for Emma’s lab adventure at Borgess (renal ultrasound, VCUG), which went surprisingly well comparend to past VCUGs – a combination, I suspect of her being older, being on adderall since Nov., and my talking the Ped. into giving her a small dose of valium. Good news, prelim. – I watched the screen and saw no signs of the vesicoureteral reflux that had been surgically corrected two years ago this Thanksgiving. Yay! We see the specialist in a month, but I was hoping the UTI was a random occurance and not a sign that something had gone not right with the surgery (bilateral ureteral reimplantation). So this was the fourth VCUG (catheter, dye, imaging..nastiness) and our pattern as been that Dad and I hold Em down while she screams like they’re killing her they cath and stuff. Mom bursts into tears – she’s SO not good in this sort of situation. Bri. hadn’t been able to get the time off work for the earlier ones, so since Dad and I have it under control he’s a lucky bastard off the hook. Afterward we drove to the sitter’s house, picked up Colin, and they took the children and their bags and all of the necessary baby paraphenalia AWAY! They had them the whole weekend, discovered all of the things they have in their house that is just within reach of a toddler on the move, and will need to sleep for a month to recover. HA!

We went out to eat – Red Lobster. Buttery, garlicky goodness, beer (Newcastle, none of that PBR swill!), appetizer…SO not on my diet. SO wonderful. Sat. we drove to Ann Arbor so Jeanne could have her way with my head (copper highlights!), then to Red Roof close to my parent’s house. [note to self: never stay there again. uuugh.] Bummed around, wandered The Mall From Hell, enjoyed more meals that didn’t resemble my diet whatsoever…yay. Picked the kids up, then to BC so I could do his Grandma’s grocery shopping and home. Can’t afford to do it very often, but it’s a Nice Thing when we can.

Gym this morning – most of the usual workout (no super-setting, sinuses way too unhappy for my quick movement and any bending over. uuuuugh). Today’s weight: 268.5. 🙁 Up, yes, but after this weekend I expected it, and don’t regret a thing. SO worth it.

Other catching up: So I sent out a slew of email last week to particular scholars I think I might be a good fit with at schools I think may be a good for me. I also sent email to someone whose work I dig but who is not at a school that would be a step up for me, but he offered very helpful advice and for that I am very grateful. I met him at Congress some years back – very nice man, but very cranky when blood sugar is low. Then, of course, so am I. 🙂 He directed me to check Wisconsin out, and some folks in Canada who are top notch, but the difficulty of moving my family to another country really prevents me from even considering anything there. There are logistics that are totally possible before partner and children…I’m not of the ‘oh ______ is easy ’cause you’re single!’ camp, I know better than that, but _______ is often a very different situation with people depending on me NOT blindly following my whims and dreams. Can’t just take off and bum around Europe for a month now, either, you know? Anyway, so far I’ve received favorable responses from Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Staint Louis Univ. Luke-warm reponse from Michigan. I’m hesitant to apply to Northwestern because of paperwork difficulties I’ve had there in the past, but K will write me about a new dealie they have, and so I wait to hear from him. He’s too much of a gem to just write off. Have decided against New Mexico totally, and Arizona. I’m still keeping WMU as a my-husband-and-I-will-still-be-employed-and-have-insurance back-up plan (although I recognize it’d look like the worst sort of back-woods inbreeding) plus I could still do that second masters in Educational Technology here, which could be of use later. The application game is largely my ability to get money together for GRE scores and app. fees at this point, I’m afraid. No matter how important my job appears to a medievalist sending in Congress forms I’m still paid like a mere secretary at a state school. Once upon a time, many, many years ago I painted the back of jean jackets for extra cash (oil paint, fantastical designs a la sci-fi covers), and there are some days that I wish I had kept up on my silly money-making schemes, since that extra cash would really come in handy right about now. Bah.

So even if I’m reasonably conservative about applying I’m looking at $400 for application fees, GRE scores, and transcripts. Good LORD. And all right about holiday time…and Emma’s birthday is at the end of December…and so I’m thinking we’re NOT looking at another big invite-the-whole-class party…Oy. Plus the great suggestions to go a-visiting everywhere. Plus the multiple copies of writing samples, and sending materials UPS so I can be sure they get there OK, and, and, and… I’m gonna need a second job just to pay the way to get out of the first one…

You want fries with that?

Children have colds.

Brian has a cold. (and stayed home today!)

I have a cold. I did cardio, anyway. I went to work. I will not be bested by a virus invader! Man the walls! Boil the oil! Attaaaaackkkkk…..!

So Emma and Colin had Dr appts. this morning – so after an enjoyable 2+ hours there, shots, ‘scrips, and a LOT of waiting later I drop off the boy at the sitter, get the ‘scrips at Meijer with the girl and then drop her and her meds off at school. The morning held no gym, payroll, Congress miscellany, or anything else I needed to do for me since I didn’t finally make it until shortly before noon. Bah. Friday I’ll only be in for 3 hours then more Fun Labs at Borgess for poor Miss Em.

Tomorrow I have to come up with a paper topic – can’t turn in a session with only 2 papers. Aaaaack. Library after cardio. Muuust cardio.