Jen, Rebekah, and I had a fun weekend this past week. It all started on Friday with the Trunk or Treat at church. I had been to one before but I was part of the planning and had to make sure everything ran smoothly so I was never really able to enjoy it. Plus this year I had a 17 month old toddler to go with. Everything seems new when it's seen through her eyes. For those who aren't familiar with the concept of the trunk or treat, I will explain. This is an activity in which people decorate the trunks of their cars, set up in the church parking lot, and pass out candy to the children who come by. You know all the candy is safe because it is coming from people at church who also have children, and the environment is safe because you don't have to worry about you child being run down on the street by some drunk coming home from a party. Jen and I decorated our trunk like a haunted forest. It was really fun and I wish I had remembered to take some pictures to post here because we did a great job. As I said previously, Rebekah was little red riding hood and looked VERY cute. She even carried around a little straw basket to complete the look. Jen and I went as trees and we were disappointed that almost none of the adults dressed up. We didn't really care because for us we were having fun. Jen made the costumes by herself and they came out awesome. I didn't know my wife was so crafty. All in all, we had a great time and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I know Rebekah did too since she didn't get to sleep until 9 (bedtime is usually 7).
For work on Friday I went as a nudist on strike, which didn't turn out as funny as I would have liked, but again, I don't really care since I just did it for me. It was a busy day for sure.
On Saturday morning, we all went out for breakfast at my favorite place: Cracker Barrel. If I could afford to eat there every day, and I didn't have to worry about my health, I would. After breakfast, we went to Rebekah's gym class. It was bring a buddy day, so we had one of Jen's friends from work come with us with her 10 month old daughter. I think they both liked it, so hopefully next time they'll come with us again. It was nice to be there with Jen and Rebekah though since every other week it's just me and Rebekah. The festivities continued (after a nap) with going to the Greater Gulf State Fair. I capitalize only because that would be the only thing that was big about this fair. I don't know what people around here consider a large fair (as Jen was told it was), but this was far from that. There weren't very many exhibits, the petting zoo consisted of a few goats, a camel, and a yak. They didn't even have cows or horses on display for everyone to look at. Now, I didn't expect it to be as big as the New York State Fair (capitalized because it is that big) or even like the south Florida State Fair. But honestly, a few booths that sell funnel cakes, corn dogs, pizza, and cotton candy do not make a fair. After the disappointment of the fair, we hoped that trick or treating at our house would go well. While we didn't get an overabundance of children, we did have quite a few. It was about what we expected since we don't really live in a big neighborhood and the next neighborhood over is a retirement community. So now we have a whole lot of left over candy which we get to eat!
Then on Sunday, we had a very relaxing and spiritual day at church. What a great way to end a weekend.
So I promised a review of the new Creed CD, Full Circle. It is actually quite good. While you can definitely tell its Creed, their sound has evolved some since their last album almost 6 years ago. We saw them in concert and it was a great show. The album has some slower power ballads, as you would expect from Creed, but there are some heavier hitting songs as well. The drumming has gotten more complex as well. This is because Scott Phillips is growing as a drummer and he is still one of my favorites. The lyrics are empowering, and about starting new or overcoming adversity. This makes sense considering what Scott Stapp has been through the past few years. The guitar work is a technical mastery and Mark Tremonti is amazing. So my grade is A-. Overall very good and it will be a long time before it leaves my CD player.
Also, I am about 150 pages into the new WoT novel, The Gathering Storm. One word: Awesome. Can't wait to see what happens next!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sickness, coldness, holidays, and geek news
So I just thought it was time for an update. Things have been very busy around here and I haven't had much time to blog. Today I had to call in sick to work. I don't call in sick to work very often, almost never actually, because if I am away for a day I get so behind on grading, students don't get taught on rotation, and patients don't get seen in clinic. A whole cascade of things happen when these tasks don't get done, ultimately resulting in much more work for me. So having a day off because I am sick doesn't really make me feel better, it just keeps me from getting others sick or killing someone. Sleeping last night didn't really occur as much as I'd like, so that, in combination with the illness did not make for a good morning. Also, remind me to NEVER go to the doc in the box again. I don't need to go into the particulars, but trust me on this.
Rebekah is being her usual boisterous self and keeping us very busy. She has been running, saying a lot more words, and understanding more commands. She is still going to the gym class on Saturdays and loves every minute of it even though she doesn't really follow along and just plays on the equipment. Jen and I went to an Auburn game a couple of weekends ago when they were playing Kentucky. We drove up to Atlanta to drop Rebekah off and gramma and grampa's house and then drove back to Auburn for the game. It was cold. Auburn played horribly and lost. It was cold. Wait, I said that already. What I should have said was "it was darn cold for a southern boy like myself". Jen was cold as well and we wish we were more prepared for the weather, but who would have thought a sweatshirt, 2 t-shirts, and a coat weren't going to be enough to keep the elements off us? We are going to the Alabama vs. Auburn game after Thanksgiving and hopefully since it's a day game the weather will be a bit warmer. We are going to have to drive up to Atlanta on Thanksgiving day (after Jen gets out of work), but it'll be fun.
This weekend is Halloween and it is my favorite non-religious holiday. I love getting dressed up and eating pumpkin seeds and candy. This year Rebekah is going as Little Red Riding Hood and Jen and I are going as trees. So that she is walking through the forest, right? I think it's a pretty good group costume and I am excited for it. For work, I am going to be a nudist on strike. I am wearing my regular clothes and hanging a sign around my neck that says "Nudist on Strike". I wanted something easy and not overelaborate, but different as well. I think that fits the bill. Last year I went as Peter Griffin from Family Guy. No one got it. I don't think I hang out with the right people for that costume to make sense. And work just thought I was wearing my normal clothes. We are also decorating our car for the trunk or treat at church as a spooky forest and graveyard. It's going to be fun. So we have a busy weekend ahead of us, but we are thankful for it.
Since it's almost Halloween that means its time to think about Christmas for me (the stores have had Christmas stuff out for a while, which I don't really like or understand. Does having Christmas stuff out in September really boost sales that much?). For gifts this year, Jen and I are just getting each other hardwood floors. No other gifts for us. Well, something from Rebekah for each of us, but that's it. Unless we get other things from family and friends. This year it is all about Rebekah. She has a gift list a mile long and as this is her second Christmas, we want to make it even better than the first. I guess it doesn't really matter though because 10 years from now she won't remember it. Heck 10 minutes after she opens the presents she'll forget about them. But it'll be a good winter since my entire family is coming for Christmas and Jen's entire family is coming as well. I say good, but what I really mean is hectic and enjoyable.
So my favorite series of books is the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. Unfortunately, he died about 2 years ago with the last book unfinished. Brandon Sanderson was chosen to use RJ's notes to complete the last book which is actually going to be 3 books. BS is a great author in his own right and I am excited for this 3rd to last book. It's called The Gathering Storm and was released today. I did preorder the book of course, but through a bookseller in Utah so I could get the book personalized and signed by BS (that's where he lives). So it may not get here for another couple of days. I am really looking forward to reading it. I'll give a full review once I finish, but the ones that have popped up online are very favorable. Also, in an unrelated, but still important to me news item, the new Creed album dropped today so I picked it up from Best Buy. I'll give it a good listen on the way to work and let you all know what I think. Not that anyone cares, but you must have some degree of interest in my opinions, otherwise the 5 of you who read this blog wouldn't bother.
Well, that's enough for now. More updates later. Have a good week.
Rebekah is being her usual boisterous self and keeping us very busy. She has been running, saying a lot more words, and understanding more commands. She is still going to the gym class on Saturdays and loves every minute of it even though she doesn't really follow along and just plays on the equipment. Jen and I went to an Auburn game a couple of weekends ago when they were playing Kentucky. We drove up to Atlanta to drop Rebekah off and gramma and grampa's house and then drove back to Auburn for the game. It was cold. Auburn played horribly and lost. It was cold. Wait, I said that already. What I should have said was "it was darn cold for a southern boy like myself". Jen was cold as well and we wish we were more prepared for the weather, but who would have thought a sweatshirt, 2 t-shirts, and a coat weren't going to be enough to keep the elements off us? We are going to the Alabama vs. Auburn game after Thanksgiving and hopefully since it's a day game the weather will be a bit warmer. We are going to have to drive up to Atlanta on Thanksgiving day (after Jen gets out of work), but it'll be fun.
This weekend is Halloween and it is my favorite non-religious holiday. I love getting dressed up and eating pumpkin seeds and candy. This year Rebekah is going as Little Red Riding Hood and Jen and I are going as trees. So that she is walking through the forest, right? I think it's a pretty good group costume and I am excited for it. For work, I am going to be a nudist on strike. I am wearing my regular clothes and hanging a sign around my neck that says "Nudist on Strike". I wanted something easy and not overelaborate, but different as well. I think that fits the bill. Last year I went as Peter Griffin from Family Guy. No one got it. I don't think I hang out with the right people for that costume to make sense. And work just thought I was wearing my normal clothes. We are also decorating our car for the trunk or treat at church as a spooky forest and graveyard. It's going to be fun. So we have a busy weekend ahead of us, but we are thankful for it.
Since it's almost Halloween that means its time to think about Christmas for me (the stores have had Christmas stuff out for a while, which I don't really like or understand. Does having Christmas stuff out in September really boost sales that much?). For gifts this year, Jen and I are just getting each other hardwood floors. No other gifts for us. Well, something from Rebekah for each of us, but that's it. Unless we get other things from family and friends. This year it is all about Rebekah. She has a gift list a mile long and as this is her second Christmas, we want to make it even better than the first. I guess it doesn't really matter though because 10 years from now she won't remember it. Heck 10 minutes after she opens the presents she'll forget about them. But it'll be a good winter since my entire family is coming for Christmas and Jen's entire family is coming as well. I say good, but what I really mean is hectic and enjoyable.
So my favorite series of books is the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. Unfortunately, he died about 2 years ago with the last book unfinished. Brandon Sanderson was chosen to use RJ's notes to complete the last book which is actually going to be 3 books. BS is a great author in his own right and I am excited for this 3rd to last book. It's called The Gathering Storm and was released today. I did preorder the book of course, but through a bookseller in Utah so I could get the book personalized and signed by BS (that's where he lives). So it may not get here for another couple of days. I am really looking forward to reading it. I'll give a full review once I finish, but the ones that have popped up online are very favorable. Also, in an unrelated, but still important to me news item, the new Creed album dropped today so I picked it up from Best Buy. I'll give it a good listen on the way to work and let you all know what I think. Not that anyone cares, but you must have some degree of interest in my opinions, otherwise the 5 of you who read this blog wouldn't bother.
Well, that's enough for now. More updates later. Have a good week.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A dog who gets sick isn't fun
I figured I needed to update the blog this week, so this will be a quick one. Jen and I have been pretty busy the past few days. Rebekah is getting more and more active and now that the weather has cooled off (finally!) it will be nice to get her playing outside. She has been doing well with walking while holding Mommy or Daddy's hand and not running off. She is understanding so many words and can actually follow basic commands, like "can you bring daddy's shoe to him?". Soon enought we'll be having conversations and she'll be talking back. Oh I can't wait! Rebekah is still going to the "Little Gym" on Saturdays and she is actually starting to participate. It's good that she is getting exposure to other kids and some exercise at the same time. Most of the time though, all she wants to do is dance to the music. She dances all the time, any time she hears the music. It's really funny. Visualize a toddler shaking her shoulders and jumping up and down. Quite the sight.
Jen and are having to get the carpets cleaned. We have been resisting doing it because we're planning on putting in hardwood floors. However, this hasn't panned out yet and it's still in the "planning" stage. In other words, I don't know when (or even if) this will happen. So we broke down and are getting them cleaned this week. They haven't been cleaned in a long time. Here is the story that finally pushed us over the edge. Jen and I had just put Rebekah down to bed and we were sitting down in front of the TV for dinner. Dinner was ready and I had just laid it out on our coffee table (which actually lifts up so its more like an actual table). Then we hear a retching sound coming from the other side of the table. Well, lo and behold, Perrin, our 8 year old Beagle, is vomiting up the entire contents of his stomach onto the carpet around and underneath the coffee table. So I get up and throw Perrin outside (not literally, but it was close), only to have to clean up the vomitus all over the carpet. I didn't know a dog had this much stuff in his stomach. Perrin was fine; the carpet, on the other hand, was not. The throw-up was mucus-y and membranous and disgusting. It was sticking to the carpet and it did not want to be picked up even with the copious amount of paper towels I was using. After almost a whole roll of paper towels, the carpet was still stained a nasty brownish-red color. We cleaned it up as best we could with some spot remover, but it's just not enough. Now this entire time, you would think Jen would be helping me clean up, right? Wrong. She was so grossed out by it she refused to even get near it. She said the smell was making her nauseated and the sight and smell of the vomit reminded her too much of a patient who threw-up on her counter a few months ago. Yes, you read that right, ON her prescription counter. You'll have to ask her about that some time; it's a hilarious story. Needless to say the dogs will not be present while the carpets are being cleaned. So that's a long way to say this is why we are having the carpets cleaned. That and the months of wear and tear on the carpet.
We also went to the eye doctor the other day and I am going to see if I can get contacts. I'm kind of over glasses. Anyway, that's all for now.
Random quote from an actual patient chart this week: "Patient is a particularly average looking middle-aged woman." Does this mean she was so average looking, it beared mentioning? While it is an accurate description of the patient, it does seem kind of weird to write it in that manner. Also, it could be kind of wrong. Still funny, but maybe wrong.
Jen and are having to get the carpets cleaned. We have been resisting doing it because we're planning on putting in hardwood floors. However, this hasn't panned out yet and it's still in the "planning" stage. In other words, I don't know when (or even if) this will happen. So we broke down and are getting them cleaned this week. They haven't been cleaned in a long time. Here is the story that finally pushed us over the edge. Jen and I had just put Rebekah down to bed and we were sitting down in front of the TV for dinner. Dinner was ready and I had just laid it out on our coffee table (which actually lifts up so its more like an actual table). Then we hear a retching sound coming from the other side of the table. Well, lo and behold, Perrin, our 8 year old Beagle, is vomiting up the entire contents of his stomach onto the carpet around and underneath the coffee table. So I get up and throw Perrin outside (not literally, but it was close), only to have to clean up the vomitus all over the carpet. I didn't know a dog had this much stuff in his stomach. Perrin was fine; the carpet, on the other hand, was not. The throw-up was mucus-y and membranous and disgusting. It was sticking to the carpet and it did not want to be picked up even with the copious amount of paper towels I was using. After almost a whole roll of paper towels, the carpet was still stained a nasty brownish-red color. We cleaned it up as best we could with some spot remover, but it's just not enough. Now this entire time, you would think Jen would be helping me clean up, right? Wrong. She was so grossed out by it she refused to even get near it. She said the smell was making her nauseated and the sight and smell of the vomit reminded her too much of a patient who threw-up on her counter a few months ago. Yes, you read that right, ON her prescription counter. You'll have to ask her about that some time; it's a hilarious story. Needless to say the dogs will not be present while the carpets are being cleaned. So that's a long way to say this is why we are having the carpets cleaned. That and the months of wear and tear on the carpet.
We also went to the eye doctor the other day and I am going to see if I can get contacts. I'm kind of over glasses. Anyway, that's all for now.
Random quote from an actual patient chart this week: "Patient is a particularly average looking middle-aged woman." Does this mean she was so average looking, it beared mentioning? While it is an accurate description of the patient, it does seem kind of weird to write it in that manner. Also, it could be kind of wrong. Still funny, but maybe wrong.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Why I didn't like New Orleans or Uneasiness in the Big Easy
So Jen and I went to New Orleans this past weekend for a concert. Before I let you all in on how awesome the show was, I wanted to expound on the title. I have been to New Orleans (NO) only one other time before this weekend. That was after a hurricane last year (I don't remember which one it was) to perform service for the people there who had had their homes destroyed. Then, I didn't really pay all that much attention to my surroundings since I was there to do a job and not sight-see. Plus, I was in some suburb that wasn't all that devistated so I didn't get to see the city. So this time around I was much more in tune to what was going on around me and taking in all the "beauty" of the city. First, when we drove in all we could see were abandoned buildings, shanty towns, and garbage. In fact, we could smell the general funk through the car, even though I had the windows closed, and the recycle inside air was on. Yeah, that bad. It was even worse when we were walking around the city. Maybe I was super sensitive to the smells because I haven't lived in a city for so long, but Charleson, Mobile, or even Albany NEVER smelled that bad. I guess it could have been the swamps surrounding NO on all sides, but I have lived near those most my life and it didn't smell like that either.
So anyway, back to the general appearance of the city. While some parts did look OK (really nice apartments next to a hollowed out shell of a building), the majority was dirty. It looked like they still haven't fully recovered from Katrina 4 years ago. Now, don't get me wrong, I know how long it takes to rebuild after a hurricane. I did live in Florida for most of my life and lived through Andrew in 1992. Maybe I was just acutely aware of the fact that they are still rebuilding and I was looking for things to complain about. But this was all secondary to the general uneasiness I felt there. I don't know why; I can't really put my finger on it, but I didn't feel comfortable there. Maybe it was the dirtiness, or maybe the stories of crime, or maybe the smells, or maybe the outlandish drunkenness and depravity and general disregard for human decency on Bourbon St., or maybe the parking ticket I got after being there only 2 hours. I don't know. Maybe it was a combination of all these things, but I just didn't feel OK. Don't get me wrong, I slept fine, because our hotel was clean and neat and everything you expect from the Ritz-Carlton's cheaper, sister hotel. Well, except for the spot of fresh blood on the shower curtain. THAT wasn't cool. We even stayed only 1 block away from Bourbon St., but it was still nice. I have been to big cities and not felt this general unease. I am not knocking NO at all, it's just not for me. There didn't seem to be much to do other than drink and gamble. Neither of which I am a fan.
It was really nice to spend time with Jen away from the stress of home. We missed Rebekah, but it was really great to have Jen's parents come and watch her for us. It was good to reconnect and get some us time. The concert was great. We had amazing seats about 100 feet from the stage. Creed rocked the house and really made me remember why I like them so much. They started off with the song Bullets complete with pyrotechnics and fireworks. Of course they played all their hits (ending up with Higher as the last song of the encore), but I really enjoyed hearing the B-sides from their earlier albums (Faceless Man, Say I, Ode, Unforgiven). Scott Stapp does look a bit older, but Scott Phillips (drummer) was awesome as usual. Mark Tremonti (guitar) is always impressive, but it was something else to see him live. I have seen Creed a couple of times before and each time they get better. Their new CD isn't out yet, but I will be sure to pick it up when it does hit stores at the end of October. StainD was also really good. I have probably seen them over half a dozen times, and they were just as good now as they were back then. Again, I enjoyed their older stuff more than their singles on the radio, but on the whole it was a great show. The only down side was the people sitting in front of us had obviously been pre-gaming and were completely drunk. They were probably in their early 40's and looked only a little out of place. One lady even passed out completely before Creed even took the stage, then continued to sleep through the rest of the show. Our tickets weren't cheap, so I couldn't understand wasting all that money only to sleep. Like I said though, it was a good time.
Quick update on everything else: Rebekah is doing well and is learning more and more each day. My job and Jen's job are going well. Basically status quo around here.
Here is the disease state of the day: Delusions of parasitosis. Had a patient with that the other day in clinic. I love my job.
So anyway, back to the general appearance of the city. While some parts did look OK (really nice apartments next to a hollowed out shell of a building), the majority was dirty. It looked like they still haven't fully recovered from Katrina 4 years ago. Now, don't get me wrong, I know how long it takes to rebuild after a hurricane. I did live in Florida for most of my life and lived through Andrew in 1992. Maybe I was just acutely aware of the fact that they are still rebuilding and I was looking for things to complain about. But this was all secondary to the general uneasiness I felt there. I don't know why; I can't really put my finger on it, but I didn't feel comfortable there. Maybe it was the dirtiness, or maybe the stories of crime, or maybe the smells, or maybe the outlandish drunkenness and depravity and general disregard for human decency on Bourbon St., or maybe the parking ticket I got after being there only 2 hours. I don't know. Maybe it was a combination of all these things, but I just didn't feel OK. Don't get me wrong, I slept fine, because our hotel was clean and neat and everything you expect from the Ritz-Carlton's cheaper, sister hotel. Well, except for the spot of fresh blood on the shower curtain. THAT wasn't cool. We even stayed only 1 block away from Bourbon St., but it was still nice. I have been to big cities and not felt this general unease. I am not knocking NO at all, it's just not for me. There didn't seem to be much to do other than drink and gamble. Neither of which I am a fan.
It was really nice to spend time with Jen away from the stress of home. We missed Rebekah, but it was really great to have Jen's parents come and watch her for us. It was good to reconnect and get some us time. The concert was great. We had amazing seats about 100 feet from the stage. Creed rocked the house and really made me remember why I like them so much. They started off with the song Bullets complete with pyrotechnics and fireworks. Of course they played all their hits (ending up with Higher as the last song of the encore), but I really enjoyed hearing the B-sides from their earlier albums (Faceless Man, Say I, Ode, Unforgiven). Scott Stapp does look a bit older, but Scott Phillips (drummer) was awesome as usual. Mark Tremonti (guitar) is always impressive, but it was something else to see him live. I have seen Creed a couple of times before and each time they get better. Their new CD isn't out yet, but I will be sure to pick it up when it does hit stores at the end of October. StainD was also really good. I have probably seen them over half a dozen times, and they were just as good now as they were back then. Again, I enjoyed their older stuff more than their singles on the radio, but on the whole it was a great show. The only down side was the people sitting in front of us had obviously been pre-gaming and were completely drunk. They were probably in their early 40's and looked only a little out of place. One lady even passed out completely before Creed even took the stage, then continued to sleep through the rest of the show. Our tickets weren't cheap, so I couldn't understand wasting all that money only to sleep. Like I said though, it was a good time.
Quick update on everything else: Rebekah is doing well and is learning more and more each day. My job and Jen's job are going well. Basically status quo around here.
Here is the disease state of the day: Delusions of parasitosis. Had a patient with that the other day in clinic. I love my job.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I'm back
Yes, I know it's been a while since I have written on here. I have been so busy and haven't had the energy or time to write. What have you been doing, you ask? Unfortunately not too much other than living life. Jen and I went to Portland, OR, had a blast, really enjoyed our time there without our Rebekah, and learned that Portland is apparently the strip club capital of the world. Yeah, I didn't believe it either, except I saw these establishments (from the outside obviously) and how numerous they are.
School has started back which means I am super busy again. I really enjoy my job (both teaching and clinic work), but it is quite tiring. The teaching part is not only rewarding, but also fun. The clinic part is also rewarding and can be even more fun, when the patients don't get up and storm out on you. Or maybe because they do that, it's fun. I don't know. The was a fire at my clinic during the night a few weeks back. Thankfully no one was injured and the only thing that was damaged was an entire wing of the clinic. Luckily not the wing where my office is. THAT would have sucked. So the clinic still smells vaguely of smoke which is an improvement over what it smelled like the first few days after the fire. Jen is working still as well. No changes there. She still likes where she works, but she wishes she could stay home with the toddler.
Speaking of the toddler, Rebekah is doing really well. She's running (usually head-long into things, or diving head first onto the floor), talking (well babbling, but her vocabulary is expanding every day and she can actually understand most of what we are saying to her now and can do some basic sign language (I mean VERY basic)), and generally being a 16 month old. She is full of vim and vigor and LOVES to get into things she's not supposed to. The other day I had given her my keys to play with and she decides it would be more fun to throw them into the dogs' water bowl. So, as I am getting up from hearing her do this, she starts to splash in the water as if it's a bath. Then, as I am running toward her, she decides to completely flip the dogs' bowl on her head, soaking her and the kitchen floor all at once. This happened all in slow motion to me and all you need to picture me saying is "Nooooooooooooo" while diving uselessly onto the kitchen floor. Needless to say she got a bath right away and I dried my keys off as best as I could, then put them in a small bag of rice to really get the moisture out of them. Normally keys are metal and this isn't an issue. So what if they get wet, right? The problem with my keys is that I have an electronic remote door opener for my car which I figured at this point was ruined. Thankfully, after a night in some rice, the remote still opens my door. She got her fluy shot this past weekend and she was a little trooper. Rebekah only cried once the needle was in her and then stopped right away. She was a very good girl. Then after the shot, we got to go to the Little Gym and have fun playing on the equipment, chasing bubbles, and playing with balls. She really likes going, but isn't so much into any kind of structure. So she basically plays the whole time with me doing all the activities by myself. It's OK. Hopefully, she will learn soon enough that having structure can be fun too. Then again, I am not one much for structure either (this is evident after knowing me for like 3 seconds), so this may be an ongoing problem.
Jen and I are going to see Creed (with opening act StainD) next weekend in New Orleans. It's oly 2.5 hours away and Jen's mom is coming down to babysit for us on Friday night through Sunday so we can spend some more quality time together. We'll probably see a movie on Friday and go to the church for some adult volleyball, then get up on Saturday and drive to New Orleans. Don't really know what we are going to do there, since we don't drink, but I'm sure we'll find something. We got a hotel in NO so we don't have to drive back after the concert. I am excited since I haven't seen Creed in a more than a few years and it's their reunion tour, so I'm sure it will rock. It's awesome of Jen's parents to come babysit for us, but I am sure they don't mind since they'll get to spend a lot of time with their granddaughter. Jen will like the concert, but I'm sure she'll miss Rebekah, as will I. We also have season tickets to Auburn Tigers football games, but we will only go to 2 games this year and sell the rest. I am excited since it looks like, so far at least, this will be a better season than last. But then again, we have only played 2 very weak teams. Next week it's West Virginia and we will see how they hold up.
Anyway, that's enough for now. Hopefully I will be posting more regularly so I don't have to write so much all at once! One more thing: Congrats to a couple of our Charleston friends and a couple of our NY friends on their pregnancies! (not together, each couple is having their own child, of course)
Quote for the week: "Being manic isn't fun; it's kind of like a medical emergency."
School has started back which means I am super busy again. I really enjoy my job (both teaching and clinic work), but it is quite tiring. The teaching part is not only rewarding, but also fun. The clinic part is also rewarding and can be even more fun, when the patients don't get up and storm out on you. Or maybe because they do that, it's fun. I don't know. The was a fire at my clinic during the night a few weeks back. Thankfully no one was injured and the only thing that was damaged was an entire wing of the clinic. Luckily not the wing where my office is. THAT would have sucked. So the clinic still smells vaguely of smoke which is an improvement over what it smelled like the first few days after the fire. Jen is working still as well. No changes there. She still likes where she works, but she wishes she could stay home with the toddler.
Speaking of the toddler, Rebekah is doing really well. She's running (usually head-long into things, or diving head first onto the floor), talking (well babbling, but her vocabulary is expanding every day and she can actually understand most of what we are saying to her now and can do some basic sign language (I mean VERY basic)), and generally being a 16 month old. She is full of vim and vigor and LOVES to get into things she's not supposed to. The other day I had given her my keys to play with and she decides it would be more fun to throw them into the dogs' water bowl. So, as I am getting up from hearing her do this, she starts to splash in the water as if it's a bath. Then, as I am running toward her, she decides to completely flip the dogs' bowl on her head, soaking her and the kitchen floor all at once. This happened all in slow motion to me and all you need to picture me saying is "Nooooooooooooo" while diving uselessly onto the kitchen floor. Needless to say she got a bath right away and I dried my keys off as best as I could, then put them in a small bag of rice to really get the moisture out of them. Normally keys are metal and this isn't an issue. So what if they get wet, right? The problem with my keys is that I have an electronic remote door opener for my car which I figured at this point was ruined. Thankfully, after a night in some rice, the remote still opens my door. She got her fluy shot this past weekend and she was a little trooper. Rebekah only cried once the needle was in her and then stopped right away. She was a very good girl. Then after the shot, we got to go to the Little Gym and have fun playing on the equipment, chasing bubbles, and playing with balls. She really likes going, but isn't so much into any kind of structure. So she basically plays the whole time with me doing all the activities by myself. It's OK. Hopefully, she will learn soon enough that having structure can be fun too. Then again, I am not one much for structure either (this is evident after knowing me for like 3 seconds), so this may be an ongoing problem.
Jen and I are going to see Creed (with opening act StainD) next weekend in New Orleans. It's oly 2.5 hours away and Jen's mom is coming down to babysit for us on Friday night through Sunday so we can spend some more quality time together. We'll probably see a movie on Friday and go to the church for some adult volleyball, then get up on Saturday and drive to New Orleans. Don't really know what we are going to do there, since we don't drink, but I'm sure we'll find something. We got a hotel in NO so we don't have to drive back after the concert. I am excited since I haven't seen Creed in a more than a few years and it's their reunion tour, so I'm sure it will rock. It's awesome of Jen's parents to come babysit for us, but I am sure they don't mind since they'll get to spend a lot of time with their granddaughter. Jen will like the concert, but I'm sure she'll miss Rebekah, as will I. We also have season tickets to Auburn Tigers football games, but we will only go to 2 games this year and sell the rest. I am excited since it looks like, so far at least, this will be a better season than last. But then again, we have only played 2 very weak teams. Next week it's West Virginia and we will see how they hold up.
Anyway, that's enough for now. Hopefully I will be posting more regularly so I don't have to write so much all at once! One more thing: Congrats to a couple of our Charleston friends and a couple of our NY friends on their pregnancies! (not together, each couple is having their own child, of course)
Quote for the week: "Being manic isn't fun; it's kind of like a medical emergency."
Friday, July 17, 2009
It's OK to throw a fit as long as you don't hit anybody with it
So not a lot has been going on here. Just kind of grinding through the days. Rebekah has been getting much better at walking and only falls infrequently now. These falls seem to come as a complete surprise to her, but it doesn't really phase her. She has also become more aware of her surroundings. When we walked by a bin of play balls at walmart (you know the kind that are so tall you would have to be a giant to slam dunk it), she kept saying "Ball! Ball! Ball!" over and over again until we walked over and picked one up. Now this ball is about as big as Rebekah. She can barely hold on to it, and when she does you can't see her behind it. Before you go thinking we let her have whatever she wants, we did go to the store with the intent to get her a new toy. It's not the toy we were looking for, yes. But it did keep her entertained. While checking out, we realized the ball we picked up didn't have a bar code on it. Meanwhile, Rebekah is throwing an honest conniption fit because we took her ball away to scan it on the self scanner. Yes, screaming, crying, jumping up and down in the cart, etc. ensued. It was not a pretty sight. When we finally got the ball to the car (Rebekah holding it all the way, in the front of the cart), we had to take the ball away to strap her in the car seat. You would think we were murdering the girl by the way she screamed. Then she carried it in front of her in the car seat the entire way home, didn't want to give it up to come out of the car seat, and continued to hold it while I carried her into the house. After about 15 minutes of holding the ball, she decided it was safe to put it down, and then she started to chase it around the house. This lasted another 10 minutes or so. Now the ball sits completely unused somewhere in our living room. And I thought I had a short attention span.
Jen and I are excited about our trip to Portland, OR. We are going to have some fun there and can't wait to see some old friends. There seems to be a lot to do there so I am sure we will keep busy. Since the toddler won't be with us, we will have some alone time. The first thing we are going to do: See the new Harry Potter movie. Not what you thought, right? But we can't really bring her to the movie since a. she won't watch the movie and b. she won't sit still for 2 1/2 hours in a dark room with other people and lots of noise going on and c. she's only 14 months old, Harry Potter is definitely not age appropriate! We'll also go to the museum (they have an MC Escher exibit going on) and many of the gardens and other attractions Portland has to offer. You know, do grown up stuff. This will be the first time we are both leaving the baby for an extended period of time, and we are both pretty nervous about it. I am sureRebekah will be fine (she's staying with my mother and father in law at our house, Thanks!), but she is still my daughter and I can't help but worry. We will Skype with her, but we don't really know how she will react to seeing us on the screen, but not be able to reach us. Not to mention our flight leaves early in the morning so she will go to sleep and the next day Mommy and Daddy are gone. Hopefully that won't bring up any abandonment issues. It'll be interesting to say the least.
Work is going to start picking up again soon. The students come back in a couple weeks and I start taking rotation students soon as well. I am excited though to how well this class does compared to the last class since their curriculum was slightly different. I am also going to be doing a presentation for the state mental health board, which will help increase my profile around the state and maybe get me some better paying gigs.
Alright folks, that's all for now. Enjoy your life; it's the only one you get. I know I am.
Jen and I are excited about our trip to Portland, OR. We are going to have some fun there and can't wait to see some old friends. There seems to be a lot to do there so I am sure we will keep busy. Since the toddler won't be with us, we will have some alone time. The first thing we are going to do: See the new Harry Potter movie. Not what you thought, right? But we can't really bring her to the movie since a. she won't watch the movie and b. she won't sit still for 2 1/2 hours in a dark room with other people and lots of noise going on and c. she's only 14 months old, Harry Potter is definitely not age appropriate! We'll also go to the museum (they have an MC Escher exibit going on) and many of the gardens and other attractions Portland has to offer. You know, do grown up stuff. This will be the first time we are both leaving the baby for an extended period of time, and we are both pretty nervous about it. I am sureRebekah will be fine (she's staying with my mother and father in law at our house, Thanks!), but she is still my daughter and I can't help but worry. We will Skype with her, but we don't really know how she will react to seeing us on the screen, but not be able to reach us. Not to mention our flight leaves early in the morning so she will go to sleep and the next day Mommy and Daddy are gone. Hopefully that won't bring up any abandonment issues. It'll be interesting to say the least.
Work is going to start picking up again soon. The students come back in a couple weeks and I start taking rotation students soon as well. I am excited though to how well this class does compared to the last class since their curriculum was slightly different. I am also going to be doing a presentation for the state mental health board, which will help increase my profile around the state and maybe get me some better paying gigs.
Alright folks, that's all for now. Enjoy your life; it's the only one you get. I know I am.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Are you being served?
It has been a busy week back at work. I came back and on Monday had a lot of catching up to do. Kind of like how Lucy has some 'splainin' to do. Except mine was in the form of email. See I forgot to set my "out of office". I thought I had, but apparently I didn't remember to. Oops! Silly me. So in every email I wrote I had to apologize for not responding sooner. Since they didn't know I was out of town. Other than that work has been pretty standard this week. Lots of patients needed to be seen. Papers I had written needed to be revised and reviewers needed to be responded to. While I do enjoy writing, I don't think there is anything more tedious than responding to reviewers' comments. Every little punctuation mark, comment, addition, etc. needs its own response. Now I have done that for one of the papers. Two more to go, and a book chapter. Maybe then I can take it easy for while....
Rebekah has been talking more and walking all over the place. She has a toddler couch that has Disney princesses on it that Jen and I bought her last week. She loves this thing. I don't know what it is about this couch that has Rebekah so enamored. It can't be the princesses, since I don't think she even knows what they are, and I don't really think the fact that its a couch is that novel since she has seen them before as well. One thing she has figured out is how to change it from a couch to a fold out bed after watching me do it a few times. She is so smart.
On Wednesday, we took the youth from church to tour a Coast Guard cutter. We have a member who is the captain of one of the boats that are based out of Mobile. The youth really appreciated it and they actually behaved which was a welcome surprise. I really thought it was cool as I have never been on a Coast Guard boat before. We got to ride on a jet powered raft, use a fire hose, and see the engine room and bridge. I am glad the youth had that experience. I'm sure that is something they will never do again (well, unless they join the coast guard). I was off on Friday, and since we had the nanny anyway, I went and helped someone move. You know, loading their stuff into a Uhaul, making sure it is packed well and tight, and generally sweating my butt off. Then when I was done I was able to come back home and spend the day with Rebekah. We visited Jen at work, since she was pretty slow on the day before a holiday. Then Saturday morning I was able to help with some yard work for a couple from church. They have been having some health problems lately and haven't been able to take care of their yard. Let's just say that the back yard has person high grass and weeds. Honestly, I never thought that possible, but it is. I had to leave early when we were about 75% done because Jen had to work. It felt good to help out and serve others.
Having to work on a holiday stinks, but at least Jen gets paid holiday pay in addition to her regular salary. We don't really have any plans for Indepenence Day, since Rebekah likely won't cooperate to be out late watching fireworks. We may end up at a friend's house for a cookout, but I don't know whether we'll go. We also recently bought a new refrigerator. Our old one was functional, but it was just too small. Now we have a larger fridge to put all our food in. It also dispenses water and ice from the front, which our old one didn't do.
I guess that's it for now. Have a good weekend and Happy 4th of July!
Rebekah has been talking more and walking all over the place. She has a toddler couch that has Disney princesses on it that Jen and I bought her last week. She loves this thing. I don't know what it is about this couch that has Rebekah so enamored. It can't be the princesses, since I don't think she even knows what they are, and I don't really think the fact that its a couch is that novel since she has seen them before as well. One thing she has figured out is how to change it from a couch to a fold out bed after watching me do it a few times. She is so smart.
On Wednesday, we took the youth from church to tour a Coast Guard cutter. We have a member who is the captain of one of the boats that are based out of Mobile. The youth really appreciated it and they actually behaved which was a welcome surprise. I really thought it was cool as I have never been on a Coast Guard boat before. We got to ride on a jet powered raft, use a fire hose, and see the engine room and bridge. I am glad the youth had that experience. I'm sure that is something they will never do again (well, unless they join the coast guard). I was off on Friday, and since we had the nanny anyway, I went and helped someone move. You know, loading their stuff into a Uhaul, making sure it is packed well and tight, and generally sweating my butt off. Then when I was done I was able to come back home and spend the day with Rebekah. We visited Jen at work, since she was pretty slow on the day before a holiday. Then Saturday morning I was able to help with some yard work for a couple from church. They have been having some health problems lately and haven't been able to take care of their yard. Let's just say that the back yard has person high grass and weeds. Honestly, I never thought that possible, but it is. I had to leave early when we were about 75% done because Jen had to work. It felt good to help out and serve others.
Having to work on a holiday stinks, but at least Jen gets paid holiday pay in addition to her regular salary. We don't really have any plans for Indepenence Day, since Rebekah likely won't cooperate to be out late watching fireworks. We may end up at a friend's house for a cookout, but I don't know whether we'll go. We also recently bought a new refrigerator. Our old one was functional, but it was just too small. Now we have a larger fridge to put all our food in. It also dispenses water and ice from the front, which our old one didn't do.
I guess that's it for now. Have a good weekend and Happy 4th of July!
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