Archive for August, 2004

Interview Today

Published on August 10, 2004 in Miscellany. 3 Comments

I had an interview today for an Administrative Assistant position at the university where DH is a professor. It went very well. There was another candidate yesterday who also did very well, and they have one more candidate to interview tomorrow. They will decide by noon on Friday. I don’t want to start until Small Son is in school, and they are OK with that.

I am taking what comes to me. If they offer me the job, I will take it. I will keep looking, in case they don’t offer me the job. Whatever comes along, I will accept.

I am doing a better job of following up after applying for jobs. Hopefully, that will get me more interviews (though it hasn’t so far).

I’m not going to agonize over this stuff. Whatever happens, happens. It’s all good.

The Nest is going to have one less chick

Published on August 7, 2004 in Miscellany. 4 Comments

My Older Son will be leaving for college next week. August 14th. Yes, indeed, in just seven short days he has to be packed and out of here. Freshman Orientation is the following week. Classes start the 23rd, the same day they start for me.

He is nowhere near ready to go (unless I am silly for thinking he should have started packing by now). He has several things he needs to get done before he can leave (like, make sure a rental truck is reserved, etc.) and none of it has happened yet. He needs to go shopping, big time. I’m a bit frustrated, but I don’t want to nag.

He’s been spending most of his time hanging out with his friends lately. Younger Son asked the other day, “Does [older son] still live with us?” It’s nice of him to give us time to get used to doing without him before he actually leaves.

Gosh, I’m going to miss him. Maybe I can get him to read and comment on my blog.

Someone pointed me long ago to the song “The Hardest Part of Love,” from the musical “Children of Eden.” Here are the lyrics that I’ve been musing over the last couple of days:

And it’s only in Eden grows a rose without a thorn

And your children start to leave you on the day that they are born

They will leave you there to cheer for them, they will leave you there to mourn ever so

Like an ark on uncharted seas their lives will be tossed

And the deeper is your love for them, the crueler is the cost

And just when they start to find themselves is when you fear they’re lost…

On top of this, Little Boy starts kindergarten this year, also on the 23rd. So many transitions, in such a short time. It’s a good thing I’m adaptable.

My Sink is Shiny

Published on August 6, 2004 in Miscellany. 3 Comments

Miranda’s recent reference to FlyLady motivated me to go check it out. Another friend had recommended it (hmmmm…) so I thought maybe I might learn something. It’s an interesting program, one that might just work at helping me get my house in order. Today, I followed all the First Day baby steps - Get dressed all the way to your shoes, make your bed, and shine your kitchen sink. Tonight, I will spend 20 minutes straightening up, pick out my clothes for tomorrow, make sure the sink is shiny, and get ready for bed. Tomorrow, I will add one item to the “morning routine;” probably doing a load of laundry.

It’s a start. Too soon to commit, but it’s a start. And I do like my shiny sink.

Vote For Change

Published on August 5, 2004 in Miscellany. 2 Comments

I’m excited about the Vote For Change concerts. I’m trying to figure out if there’s a way in my severely unemployed state that I can actually go see Springsteen and R.E.M. in Orlando. I’ll probably have to sell something.

I’ve read a lot about what Mr. Springsteen has to say about why he’s doing this. He says that the political situation is such that he felt obligated to expend some of the goodwill he has from his fans to affect change in the election this fall. I think that his presence adds some gravitas to the events - Bonnie Raitt is always at these sorts of affairs, but Bruce has never participated in partisan politics before. He’s always been very issue oriented - Second Harvest and other food banks are always a presence at his concerts, and he always mentions them and urges the fans to donate.

But all this political stuff is just a cover for me, really. ‘Cause I just really, really want to see Bruce and the band play again.

A little thing that made me cheerful today

Published on August 4, 2004 in Miscellany. 5 Comments

While at Walmart in Meridian, MS on Sunday, I spilled a Diet Coke in my purse. The purse was a cloth and vinyl affair, a couple of years old, and probably ruined. I was unable to find a replacement I liked at Walmart (go figure!)

My ideal purse will be spacious, but not overly so. It will close with a zipper, and will not look like leather unless it really is. It will also have a shoulder strap, vs. handbag straps, or a single adjustable strap that can function as either.

I went to lunch and shopping with a friend today. We went to Target. I didn’t really find a purse that I liked there, either. But I did find a purse that I can live with. Normally, I wouldn’t spend money on something that I find only acceptable - but this was $3.25! For that price, I can learn to live with it. Maybe I’ll even grow to like it.

The Trip Home, or, What a Night(mare)

Published on August 3, 2004 in Miscellany. 4 Comments

The boys and I headed back from Ohio to Louisiana on Saturday. We made a late start, because we went to Ada first to have lunch with my daughter and son-in-law (and their beautiful baby girl). It was 3:00 before we actually got on the road, taking I-75 South toward Nashville.

We didn’t stop even one single time until we got to Nashville, where we went to Sam’s Club and gassed up, and bought dinner. It was about 8:30 Central Time when we headed for Birmingham. We were planning on staying at a Motel 6 there, then heading home in the morning.

The Motel 6 in Birmingham is actually in Bessemer, about 30 miles west of Birmingham. From there, it’s only about 35 more miles to Tuscaloosa. We got there about midnight, and decided to push on to Tuscaloosa (more miles behind us, and a Sam’s Club for gassing up in the morning). We stopped at the Motel 6 there, and there was no room in the inn. I guess we should’ve stopped in Birmingham. After determining that something was Going On (perhaps Orientation at U of A), we headed for Meridian, Mississippi.

About 40 miles from the Mississippi border, at 1:00 a.m., we got a flat. At first, the cell phone wouldn’t work. Then, when I got out of the car, it did. Neither my older son nor I knew how to change a flat tire. Fortunately, when we signed up for our new cell phone service, we got a free month of Mobile Assist. Like AAA, except it goes with the phone. About 2:00, a very large man showed up and changed our tire. He also advised us where we might be able to find a hotel room. DH worked the internet at home and found us a room in Livingston, Alabama, 17 miles from the Mississippi border. We got there about 2:45 Sunday a.m. It was $75. I was delighted to pay it.

We left the next morning about 10:30, taking U.S. Highway 11 to Meridian. We were driving on one of those stupid 50 mph donut spares, so it was slow going. Also, everything about the Wal-mart owned enterprises in Meridian in our road atlas was wrong. One of the locations was closed and replaced; the other did not have a tire & lube express. We found the Super Wal-mart (with the express tire & lube) at about 12:30. It took them until 3:00 to get our new tire on (”express” is a relative term, I guess). We finally got home about 6:30.

I don’t remember the last time I have been away from home for so long. I was gone for over two weeks. It’s really, really good to be back.

Today, DH and I took Little Boy to the Louisiana Children’s Museum. It was a pretty fun place. I was kind of surprised at the number of broken things, but Little Boy was very excited to be there and had a wonderful time. An annual membership for the whole family would only be $60; especially if we relocate cityside, I think it would be a worthwhile investment.