waiting


I've been waiting a lot lately.
... to figure it out, the why-am-i-so-frustrated-and-moody-and-sad part
... to find my heart and talk to it
... to get a real winter snow
... to find more patience
... to decide what to do with my coaching and my other site
... to find some enthusiasm again
... to get my first two half-frozen-marathons over and done with
... for more sun
... for a mentoring kind of friend to show up here
... to find ways to be creative again
... to learn to slow down
... to not feel guilty
... to stop saying sorry for awhile
... to find the next roach
... to eat crab rangoon
... to go out with a friend on an alone night instead of going to the movies
... to get really grabbed by a book
... to go to bed early
... to learn coptic binding
... to not feel tired or caffeinated
... to hear about M&B's twins
... to post pics of D's robot creation

I've found some of the answers. Some I'm waiting for no discernable reason. Some I'm getting clues about.
I've been posting more over here than I have here. I'm glad it's February. I'm glad the sun is still slanting across the streets when I'm bringing the boys home from school. I'm glad they both performed at school last Friday, and enjoyed it. A reading in class and a song on stage for D, a guitar solo on stage of Jingle Bell Rock a-la-Cobain by F, so said the witnesses. I'm glad I have two boys. I'm glad I spent half an hour in the park alone late last night, thinking and making a butt-tingling snow angel. I'm glad I'm ready to crawl into bed.

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I'm back!

Back from being barred from blog-land that is, thanks to an explosion in a datacenter in TX. I didn't miss the 4 days of spam, that's for sure, but I didn't like being barred from my own blog! Alas the posts I wrote in my head are still there, and fading. We'll see if I can squeeze one out tonight. Michael's gone again, he left Monday and probably won't be back until September! That leaves me with 3 weeks to finish up some small repairs here, find a subletter, farm out the cat and plants, suspend memberships and forward mail, pack away dressers and surface stuff, wrap up clients, finish 2 websites, sell 4 computers and buy a laptop, clean off/up said computers before selling, attend several field trips/grad ceremonies, etc .... you get the drift that I'm feeling rather overwhelmed and needing 8 arms.

the countdown

M leaves on Monday morning for the beginning of the MA job ... and we have no idea how many months of it he's going to take (at least 2) maybe up to 5. I've been getting done what I can, am squeezing in a race Sunday morning, and registered for a half-marathon in early May, so I'll HAVE to find ways to get runs in by begging and swapping kid-care. I'll do it all on the treadmill if I have to but that's not good training at all really for an urban run.

The kids know, well, make that D knows and Fynn is clueless. He'll be the hardest hit in some ways, he (fynn) is SO attached to his dad. I'm knowing I'm going to miss him, but not thinking about it as much as I can help it because it won't help me deal. Trying to come up with fun things to mark the time with the boys, like treats and convincing friends to come visit. Anyone up for a trip and free place to stay in NYC?! Company will be heaven in the next few months.

The things that make me realize I'm dreading it? And perhaps resenting it tremendously? ok, not perhaps, I am resenting it. I've had 2 dreams, the 2nd one this morning, in which M has been deliberately/casually cheating on me. And not hiding it at all. In both cases I've woken up furious. I have not a shred of fear that he has or will do such a thing in terms of fidelity, but art is his other wife. There's no doubt about it. And in this case it feels like she won.

It's not just about the good pay and references and connections he'll get, it's about wanting to go, do something he really enjoys, and make a bit of a name for himself. A chance to paint every night and batch it for a few months. He'll miss us badly I know, but not in the same way. I know most of the resentment comes from how it was decided, not the decision itself. We'd talked it over and agreed it wasn't a feasible idea. Then the project leader called to get his answer, and he blurted out that he'd come for 2 months at least, until school got out. I sat there listening, stunned and hurt. I do see now that it's a very good thing, and support it wholly, but part of me is still angry I guess.

The other downer I found out last night ... every cell phone company has coverage up there except ours (t-mobile). So for now there will be no way to communicate unless he borrows a phone. Perhaps he can get a regular pots line put in, or get cable internet and use skype (there's cable tv already) ... or just get a cell phone w/a different company for the duration of the project and let his current one lie dormant. Seems the cutting off is going to be more complete than I realized, at least for the short term.

To keep myself motivated, I'm plotting what projects I can get done before he gets back ... paint/grout the bathroom, get the yard trimmed up/planted, boxes sorted, things donated or hauled away, etc ... some of them things that are much harder if there are more people in the house. I can shower at the gym for a couple days while grout dries :). And we won't talk about how often my boys are bathed. Nope, we won't. More often than my sheets are changed, but that's not saying anything at all!

Speaking of showers, I do need one.

Oh, and there's a new thing growing in my sidebar (not the ads that have been there awhile, click away, click away!) that's a list of books. I'm starting to plot and scheme on a bigger project than I've ever taken on, but this would be a whole family/whole life kind of project. The list will grow, and already has big clues in it.

Last thing, I'm going to fix the Flickr badge, I am ... I treated myself to a Pro account, finally!!, and went organizing-happy over there.

Day 30 - wrapping up

I watched the workmen on the house behind me build a fence today. I did a radio show on empowerment and moms. I thought about limits, and where they come from. I thought about what inspires people, and what keeps them going and loving what they do. I thought about martyrdom, and my tendency towards it but my lack of feeling that way lately. I talked to a friend in the ER. I visited the newish YMCA, to meet the lady face-to-face who i hope will get the Y to sponsor my race. I felt disappointed the article was postponed until next weekend. I got over it.

It's the last day of NoBloPoMo, and the last day of November. As I seem to be babbling tonight, here are 30 things about me that are of varying degrees of interest.

1. I have a tattoo on my right hip, of a snowflake
2. I tried to date my brother-in-law for years before admitting I was more attracted to his younger brother
3. I love to go barefoot, everywhere I can get away with it, but hate getting comments or stares.
4. I've been kicked out of a club for being barefoot
5. I have a chip out of my front tooth where a drunk stranger clonked me with a beer bottle while putting his arm around me for a photo
6. When I was about 8 or 9, I doubted that I'd been saved 'right' so I asked God over and over again to take away my sins.
7. I distrust organized religion, but find it comforting
8. I love smoked oysters, manchego cheese, and dark chocolate
9. I'm a snacker by nature, and hate big meals
10. I'm so connected to my grandma that I'm not sure how I'll handle her eventual death ... I've got a big chunk of her in me
11. I HATE getting up in the morning, and always want to sleep in
12. I got so nervous the first time I went to church with my parents after officially leaving the church that I puked in the bathroom in between meetings
13. I also puked after running the mile in 5th grade with a time of 6:46
14. One of the most joyous moments of my life was while spinning out of control before totaling my Jetta
15. I pee in the shower
16. I don't change my kids diapers until I absolutely *have* to. Thank God they don't get diaper rash.
17. I can't watch horror movies, period
18. I'm not good at giving my opinion, but generally have one, though I'm getting more confident in sharing them
19. I just plain can't dance, unless, no, there's no unless. I can't dance.
20. I can't look back at the 2 years I spent in PA without cringing
21. I can't feel good about leaving/moving until it hurts to do so
22. I miss my garden, trees, dirt that I can wiggle my toes in, moving water that's not in a gutter, and the smell of fresh-cut grass.
23. I miss my friends, the ones I had real time for before marriage/kids, and feel frustrated that I don't have the time to spend with them. The bit I do get is like gold.
24. I hate obligations. I make them for myself, and accept them too readily from others.
25. I need praise from others to feel good about what I'm doing, but feel guilty for it.
26. I have a scar on my knuckle from having a wart burned off as a child
27. I got my first kiss at 21
28. I'm insanely proud of my kids, and am afraid of what I'd be without the experience of having them
29. I'm proud of what I've accomplished in the last month, and can only hope December will be as interesting
30. I love what I've been given, who I've become, and what I've been able to do with it so far. Thank you God.

Day 22 - Thankful ...

... That my husband watched our kids +2 others so that I could run a 5 mile race this morning with 2 other friends
... That I found the lady who was supposed to be handing out my race flyers at the end of the race, discovered she couldn't do it as no one showed up to help, and managed to get 500 of them handed out myself
... That my friends weren't too mad that I didn't show up at the designated meeting spot for an extra half hour
... That I finished the race without limping
... That I had a wonderful turkey dinner, with family, and didn't have to cook a thing!
... That I got to pick over the turkey carcase
... That my kids didn't break anything while careening around my aunt/uncle's house
... That Douglas had a great time with Joe M. and learned how to tease him this time, to both of their enjoyment
... That it's just past 9pm and I'm home and ready for bed
... That it was a good day
... That I have a loving and healthy family
... That M has off work tomorrow, after all ...
... That I live in a city I love
... That God loves me no matter what ...

and that's just today.

Happy thanksgiving :)