spinning-jennie: January 2005 Archives

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January 30, 2005

EZ Bake
You know those easy-to-measure foil-wrapped shortening sticks? I was almost giddy when I saw the same thing a few weeks ago - for Jif peanut butter! I hate baking with peanut butter, for the obvious reasons. It's disgusting to measure and I despise the cleanup. But now, just hack a piece off at the line! Whoop!

Apparently it hasn't been well-publicized. After some not terribly superficial searching, I can't find a thing about it. Such brilliance, yet such stupidity.

01/30/05 10:06 AM | Comments

January 28, 2005

Extreme Cuppa
Go, Tim, go!

01/28/05 02:16 PM | Comments

January 27, 2005

A Case of the Shakes
Everyone keeps congratulating us on our move to the "North Bay." I must politely insist that isn't the case, if only for my own peace of mind. If I don't think about the earthquakes, they won't happen.

01/27/05 08:42 PM | Comments

Be Nosy.
Our Netflix queue RSS. Keep in mind that we've pretty much seen everything we really wanted to, and the good stuff hasn't released yet.

01/27/05 07:15 PM | Comments

January 26, 2005

You Had Me at Funky-Breathed
I'm stealing this quote from BabyTalk. Sums my own opinion pretty nicely. I may just have it printed on cards, to hand out when given such sage advice.

'Sleep when the baby sleeps' is a load of crap! Unless of course you want to be a funky-breathed, smelly, matte-haired starving sack of goo 24 hours a day. Yes, if you want your home to fall into shambles and have the city declare it unfit for human habitation, then, by all means, sleep when the baby sleeps! -- Laura Fortson-Williams, Williamstown, NJ

01/26/05 06:52 AM | Comments

January 25, 2005

Can You Dig It?
D. and a friend drove my car out to Petaluma this weekend, and came back with some measurements and pictures. There are lots of mirrors. We'll be covering up this panel in the great room with long drapes. The mirrors over the fireplace (WTF?) will stay as-is, unless you have any ideas. And I suppose the mirrors in the corner of the master bedroom can stay, if they prove flattering enough (mind out of the gutter, folks) - a good real full-length mirror is a handy thing for dressing.

I hate the fact that I'm moving back into a smaller kitchen, but I do adore the double oven. I can be all Martha with it - prep one batch of something, while another is ready to eat!

Oh, yeah. Here are those crazy lamps.

01/25/05 03:15 PM | Comments

January 22, 2005

I've Said it Before, I'll Say it Again...
Comcast. Sucks. Arrrrr.

Here's a desktop I made last time we were down for a few days, when I was bored and mad. There were more, but I didn't save them. Stupid, since I could've used 'em now, when I only have time to be mad.

01/22/05 08:31 PM | Comments

January 21, 2005

19 More of These to Go???
Ugh. Teething fever. Thanks be to the pediatric gods, or I wouldn't have known that ibuprofen is indeed safe for infants, after all. Because acetaminophen is apparently almost worthless, and this exacerbated by the fact that the suspension tastes like crap (I concur with Daniel on this). Both D. and I just now taste-tested the ibuprofen drops, and pronounced them mild and delicious. "Like Starburst." Or the sweet taste of an almost full-night's sleep.

01/21/05 07:27 PM | Comments

Sprouts 'o Pain
The little tooth is clearly there now, visible and sharp, and I'm very much not looking forward to the day it bites me. He doesn't grab my fingers to suck on anymore - they've become his favorite teethers. Amazingly, he's not much crankier than usual. I've only felt I had to break out the Baby Orajel twice so far.

If you see a hunchbacked, baggy-eyed woman, hair and clothes caked with various baby liquids, tiny lacerations all over her hands, and bandaged boobs - that just may be me.

01/21/05 09:18 AM | Comments

January 20, 2005

This Little Piggie
He really found his toes a few days ago.

01/20/05 08:55 PM | Comments

January 19, 2005

Past, Tense
First off, I would like to applaud the California DMV. They're really a paragon of inefficiency. Not only do they charge exorbitant fees, but they make you wait hours in cramped, dingy offices like cattle to do it [bend over] only to inform you that they've lost your irreplaceable paperwork [and take it up the sphincter]. Oh, and, by the way - that was over a year ago. Did they fail to tell you? You mean, you didn't infer that's what happened when you didn't get your registration renewal this year in the mail? Tee hee hee, oooopsies!

So, yeah. Between yesterday and today, I've spent about six hours on a problem with my title from 2003. Supposedly it's taken care of now... but I've heard that before. At least I've got new stickers for my plates.

While I was waiting around after my second vehicle inspection (they had no record of the first, of course), I checked out the Antique Trove next door. Antiquing is very soothing, lots of vintage Pyrex to supress the volcanic urges to go postal.

But I should know better than to look at the photographs, those sepia stares in their cardboard stand-up studio frames. Today I saw a chubby, cheery baby boy, alone amongst the china and trinkets, and it made me tear up. Some mother had that photo taken long ago, lovingly, and now it would seem there's no one to care about the fate of that once-baby. I keep picturing it, and getting melancholy all over again.

01/19/05 09:23 PM | Comments

Latex Kills
Augh.

01/19/05 08:42 AM | Comments

January 18, 2005

Valerie Sasha
Congratulations Kara! What a beautiful baby girl!

01/18/05 09:41 PM | Comments

January 17, 2005

Someone Have a Magic Moving Wand I Can Borrow? Anyone?
Packing with little Mister Must Always Move But Can't Crawl Yet is... well, it's going to be a bit of a bitch. In case you were wondering. It's fast and physical work enough without having a 17-pound weight dangling from the torso, to boot. I'm trying to put that off as long as possible, but he's not happy about being left to his Gymini or Jumperoo for time enough to pack to my satisfaction. And when I get in a swing, it's almost painful to break it, and impossible to return to. I've the feeling there'll be many late nights in the next two weeks.

Perhaps I should join in the spazztastic fun. It's been over a year since I've had more than two cups of coffee, so imagine the high! I could pack at the speed of light during Daniel's micronaps! Woohee! (via Tim)

01/17/05 04:12 PM | Comments

January 16, 2005

Location, Location, Location
It's colder in Petaluma than it is here. Don't know why I didn't think it would be. But that bodes very well for summer. As in, fewer eyeball-melting days.

It only took one day of driving around to find a good condo/townhouse (what's the difference? really?) to rent in a nice Petaluma neighborhood, and only minutes from where D. will work! Private owners, super friendly retired folks who live on a tiny farm. The place is definitely 80's - mirrors everywhere, those weird ornate gold-glass lanterns hanging above the stairs. D. digs that. Lots of room, with three bedrooms, a double garage, 2.5 baths, and tons of storage (my favorite is the closet right off the living room, awesome for toys?). It'll take some getting used to, having neighbors living on either side again, when the neighbors we have on only one side now are often gone for days at a time.

It'll also certainly take some getting used to, living in a town without Target or Raley's (oh, the hardships, huh?). The hills are pretty, there's Whole Foods and Borders, and the library looks interesting enough. The town is a big antique center, so that may be what everyone gets for gifts from now on. It could take weeks to explore all the shops. And it sounds like there'll be no end to fresh local produce - can't wait to get my hands on some nice brown eggs.

Daniel did okay on his first overnight trip away - only one real screaming incident when he'd seen just one too many rentals on Saturday. And we're not allowed to eat in sit-down restaurants anymore, hrmpfh. We left town in such a hurry on Friday that he missed his bath night, so I ended up sponging him off with our room ice bucket, of all things, which he seemed to find as humorous as I did. Luckily we didn't seem to screw up his sleep schedule too badly.

Daniel and I took a little nap when we got home, awaking to find that D. had been out on an aggressive box-scouting mission. Guess there's no excuse not to pack something or other tonight now.

01/16/05 02:54 PM | Comments

January 14, 2005

And So, Again
Off to Petaluma, to look for a place to live. More later!

01/14/05 04:26 PM | Comments

January 13, 2005

Five
Daniel is five months old today. No, I can't believe it, either. He learned to turn from back-to-belly a couple of days ago, and I think he's well on his way to sitting up. He's definitely laughing, but in a strange, low-pitched gurgly way. Not the way I always think of baby laughs. But it still makes zerberts lots of fun.

He's really noticing his surroundings now, not staring at me exclusively when we're out for walks, but taking everything in. Toys are interesting now, if only to ultimately end up gummed and drool-soaked.

One more month, and we can break out the rice cereal. I don't think I'll be ready by then. But many report better sleep with a little cereal before bed, so I guess that's a pretty good motivator.

01/13/05 08:56 PM | Comments

Bootie Cutie
I knew there was a reason I still have to have a girl.

01/13/05 08:48 AM | Comments

January 11, 2005

On, Wisconsin
Mom: I think I'm going to visit Milwaukee for a few days.

Me: I kind of miss Milwaukee, sometimes.

Mom: Well, it really wasn't all that great there, you know.

Me: Well, it sure as hell beats Sacramento. There's the great zoo, and the Lake, and the real museums... and the food...

Mom: That's true.

------------------------------------

I think that it's the long list of places to visit that I miss, more than living in the city itself, or even the people I know there (for shame). The last time I tried being a resident was briefly in 1993 - would I have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been in the death grip of severe depression?

Oh, well. In any case, someday I want to take Daniel to see all of my very favorite childhood things there.

------------------------------------

This somewhat disjointed and not particularly in-depth trip down memory lane brought to you by the letters M and T.

01/11/05 07:53 PM | Comments

January 08, 2005

C'mon Baby Finish What You Started
So now I have three simple resolutions for the year. One: walk more. Two: make at least one new IRL friend.

And three: finish up the project I started way back in 2002. Because, jinkies. It's only 2005.

01/08/05 11:52 AM | Comments

Dem Bones
The weather really needs to take a break so we can make our next delicious find.

01/08/05 11:26 AM | Comments

January 07, 2005

Raging
Half of our beaded garland has broken off and blown completely away. Something on the roof made a terrifying sound, enough to make me jump, and then shake, and Daniel cry in fear. I still haven't gone out to see what made it. The tree in the backyard looks like it just wants to topple into the house.

Today is supposed to be the worst of the winds, I guess. It's bad enough to keep us from our planned visiting. We never get real weather, and we never go visiting, so what an annoying coincidence. Daniel is never happy about being stuck inside all day, and hearing him whine when I get tired of walking around the house with him sure doesn't do much for me, either. I'm pretty sure he's just starting to cut a tooth, too - excellent timing!

But at least we're sleeping.

01/07/05 02:42 PM | Comments

January 06, 2005

Stuff & Stuff
My first night alone with the bubby. D. is off in Shakytown, interviewing tomorrow, being put up in the coolest of wharfside digs tonight. I'm having Jennie-suitable pizza and catching up on my idiotic and most embarassing 25-year-old vice (and, *pwoof!* there goes half my readership).

While packing, D. found two things in his closet: insect damage to his wool sportscoat, and nasty mold. Hopefully not of the killer variety. It gets me, really it does - these places were built in the fifties, and my grandma's old house was built in the late 1800's. Guess which one had fewer problems, aside from routine maintenance-type issues?

My hair has stopped falling out in scary gobs. Even the "bald" spots are starting to fill back in. Too bad a good percentage of the new hairlets are grey...

01/06/05 07:03 PM | Comments

January 05, 2005

Inexplicably Better
Eight hours. He slept eight hours straight last night. I don't know why. But, damn, it was nice to have him in the co-sleeper until 2:30! Wheeeeeee!!! Can we do it again?

01/05/05 11:47 AM | Comments

January 03, 2005

Sleep is Not an Issue Until You're Not Getting It
I've always been honest here. But, while I may have at times revealed more than others, it's merely the tip of the iceberg, always finding myself censoring, reserved here. Art (such as it is) imitating life, I suppose, because that's how I am around most. I guess I've this ungodly hour to thank/blame for any of the following spew.

Now it's past one, and I'm up. Daniel fussed for two hours, during which I became more and more frustrated and awake. Then I lay there, finding myself staring at the clock and growing somewhat resentful, on the crampy bed, with the baby sleeping fitfully on one side of me, intermittent chainsaw noises on my other. There's more room and comfort on the couch, but that would mean waking up the baby to bring him along. And you don't wake up a sleeping baby - most especially a rarely sleeping baby - trust me.

The Book that has been highly praised by all... I'm plowing through as I can, in three-page fits and starts, but am becoming more and more impatient and disappointed. I'm finding nothing earth-shattering, hardly a thing that I'm not already trying. Attempting to feed more during the day. Longer naps. Early bedtimes. Routine. Please tell me it gets more compelling than that, please. There is, of course, nothing that explains why he'd slowly grown to become such a relatively good sleeper - three, five! seven!!! hour stretches - and suddenly, with no change from me, exhibiting worse than newborn sleep patterns. He's been spiralling in fits and starts for a few weeks to get to this point, where he can be up every twenty minutes. And I don't know what to do.

Obviously, I don't want to be groggy, always-vaguely-pissed mommy, but I'm finding myself slipping. How am I going to deal with a move, if it comes to that? Where is the energy and patience going to come from? I feel like I did before leaving my last job, achingly desperate for a change - but now that desperation is directly affecting the tiny person I've cared most about, ever. And there's no advice to be taken, no help to be had. Unless you count the babyboomer standard - "Put him in his crib (all alone?) and let him cry until he falls asleep." I don't think I'll ever be tired enough to break our own hearts on purpose.

I've come back from nursing him to sleep, again, and it's past two. And I've never felt this alone.

01/03/05 02:18 AM | Comments

January 01, 2005

Starting With a Bang
Awake before six, again. Also from ten to eleven (tried to go to bed early, ha), and - yes, quite literally - every half-hour to hour between. Suddenly, again, with the half hour naps, too, and it takes me half an hour to get to sleep, so. Any pattern that we'd established has completely dissolved. My sinuses are (of course) using these past few days of immunity deflation as an excuse to go medieval on my ass, and my hospital-proof ibuprofen isn't working. My face just hurts. They gave me Vico*din for my recovery, too, which I never used, but am thinking of taking now despite the risk of utter grogginess (even plain old vanilla Benadryl knocks me flat for the whole day). I am in pain and unbreathing and exhausted, and not happy, and am having an increasingly impossible time faking being so, not breaking down.

It is all no excuse, really, and I am a selfish mommy, needing sleep. Terrible for feeling utterly frustrated, and for crying, and not quite knowing how to stop.

01/01/05 07:16 AM | Comments