Scuba Day

IMG_0364, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Why interrupt a tradition on my blog?

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday Bill Paxton
Happy birthday to you!

James Lileks is vacation blogging, too; his entries are about his family's trip to DisneyWorld. I see he gets the same feelings I get whenever I encounter the House of Mouse: cynicism at war with the inner 5-year old who is genuinely getting a kick out of everything. Me, I can't wait to take Brenden.

Trip Report: May 6,7 Cinnamon Bay and Low-Key
We went to Cinnamon Bay again, except this time we did it right and left the condo early. Brenden felt more comfortable with the ocean and I felt more comfortable snorkeling. I sat in the water with B and we 'dug for treasure' - there's a line of coarser material about 2 feet into the water that includes small bits of broken coral, shells, and rocks. I'd dump some of this into B's toy sieve and pan through it in the water until the big stuff remained. Brenden was fascinated by the little bits and pieces left over; occasionally we'd find a larger shell that way.



The next day was the big day - we were going to go scuba diving. I had called a place recommended on various message boards. By the way, how can you trust info you get from a message board? Leave a message with the word "1337" in it and see how many responses you get that say "what the hell does that mean?" The more confusion, the more trustworthy the source.



Anyway, I called Christy's of St. John, and they recommended a babysitter. Tamisha is a very nice young lady who was shy with us but she and Brenden got along just fine. She watched him for the morning while Jon and I loaded up for some scuba diving with Low-Key Watersports, a company we have dived with both times we have been to St. John. I had wanted to try a company that dealt with smaller groups, but Jon wanted to stay with Low-Key. Overall, the dives were nice, but it was somewhat of a cattle boat. I hope next time we can try the other company.



Still, the first dive at Calf Rock was rough - I hadn't dived since Costa Rica and it took me a while to get used to the environment again. The second dive at Little St. James was much better although when I got out of the water I was shivering. The water temp was 82 and I only wore my rash guard over my bathing suit. Next time I'll wear a shorty, and I won't let 2 1/2 years go by before I dive again.



I did have a good time. I saw all kinds of nifty creatures, including an eel, pretty fish, a big honking barracuda, several rays, and the spider-thingy above. Our dive guide pulled it out of a hole and put it on my hand. I'm glad I don't have bug phobias. I still wonder what it is (I have identification books. I'll need to peruse them).

I also got to see one of my favorite types of little fishies: I looked them up once but I can't remember their official name. I call them "disco fish". These pretty, shy little fellas live in holes in the ocean bottom. They never go far from their holes, and the effort it takes to stay near their holes makes them look like their dancing. This photo doesn't do their coloring justice: their hues are almost neon. Hence the 'disco'.



Both days ended with trips to the pool. Brenden could never get enough of the pool.

Rainbow

Rainbow, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I went to visit my doc yesterday and was prescribed a whole slew of meds including antibiotics, decongestant/expectorant, and Singulair for athsma/allergies. I'm also throwing ibuprofen on top of all that for the sore throat. Last night I had spectacular dreams which bled over into reality. I dreamt I had heard a loud bang, so I woke up and had to search the whole house before I went back into bed and discovered there had been no noise (Jon was wondering what the hell I had been doing).

On with the show:

Trip Report: May 4-5 Cinnamon Bay and Charlotte Amalie We saw a rainbow over St. Thomas when we woke up and I managed to snag a few pictures of it. We planned to go to the beach and it took forever to get ready. By the time we left the condo it was 9 am and Brenden was already a little cranky. We also discovered that we had left the battery charger for our new camera (Canon PowerShot SD900) back home. Jon and I debated a course of action and ended up deciding to go over to St. Thomas on the following day to find one. We didn't come all this way to snap only a few paltry photos.

We stopped in Cruz Bay to see if we could find a charger (no luck) and to buy Brenden a few cheapie beach toys. St. John Kids, right next to the passenger ferry dock, had some nice toys that fit the bill. We decided on Cinnamon Bay for our beach destination because it has shower facilities, plus it is my most favoritest place in the known universe.




I watched el jefe at first while Jon went a snorkeling. He tested out the waterproof case for the camera and I tried to teach Brenden how to make a sand castle. I built them and he would go Godzilla on them. I took him out in the water a few times and he seemed far more interested in digging in the sand.





I went snorkeling too and kept getting foot cramps. I haven't been snorkeling / scuba diving since we went to Costa Rica 2 years and 8 months or so ago so I was a little out of practice. I didn't last long and went and played with B some more. Despite a powerful sun B and I managed to deter sunburn thanks to spf-rated rash guards and plenty o' sunscreen. Jon got some on his shoulders.

The rest of the day was unremarkable.

We took our time and left for the passenger ferry dock to catch the ferry into Charlotte Amalie at 11:15. Brenden was cranky, of course. Jon was carrying him around in our kiddie backpack but it was hot. I bought him a little hat which he wore occasionally.








In Charlotte Amalie we ate lunch at a restaraunt with AC. I don't remember the name but it was pretty expensive. Brenden got to sit by a window looking over the CA harbor. He decorated it with ketchup. Then we went shopping. We found a charger so we did some window-shopping and bought a few more toys for Brenden. He was allowed to walk a little and stopped for every puddle and fountain we came by. The boy is fascinated with water, particularly running water. I have to do battle with him every time I try to get him out of the bathtub.

On the ferry ride back he fell asleep, thank Neptune.

view from condo, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Trip Report: May 2-3 Travel Day(s) The hotel in Atlanta was a kind of good idea; getting Brenden to sleep was a major hassle (11:30 or so) so none of us were well-rested by the time we got to Hartsfield International at 5:30. Still it beat trying to leave the house at 1 am. Now here's the scary part of this travel day: everything went according to plan! Very spooky.

Security was a breeze, the flights were on-time and pleasant (would it be racist of me to point out the French flight attendants were kinda rude, though?), and Brenden was for the most part amenable. We had to break out the dvd player during the last hour of the flight from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Thomas to quell an attack of the crankies but that was it. We flew Spirit Airlines, by the way, in some of their brand-spanking new A-319 Airbuses. Anyone who is reading this who lives in Atlanta ought to keep them in mind because they have good deals on vacation spots.

So the flights were on-time, the luggage didn't get lost and the folks at Dependable Car Rental came and got us 10 minutes after we called them just like they said they would. We rented a 4-door Jeep Wrangler (yes, a 4 door. They make those now). Once the paperwork was finished, Jon drove from Charlotte Amalie to the ferry dock in Red Hook and we almost immediately backed up onto a car barge. Brenden by then had decided to nap again.





We drove off at the new dock at Enighed pond thus avoiding the chaos near the passenger ferry / national park docks. We made one stop at the Starfish Market for some quick supplies and found the Serendip Condos relatively easy. We had rented Echo unit, and for a less expensive alternative to renting a villa I think we got our money's worth. The condo was small, with the kitchen / dining room / living room being one room, then a bathroom (tiny) and a bedroom. These condos are perfect for couples or really small families.

There were two air conditioners, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. The best part of the condo to me was the verandah. It was fairly large and I was able to let Brenden on it without too much fear he would try to climb anything. The view was nice and ironically of the car ferry dock at Enighed pond. I am of the opinion that when they built the dock and dredged the salt pond it helped this view. I spent plenty of downtime on the verandah drinking beer and watching the barges come and go.

I took Brenden for a walk in the neighborhood while Jon took a nap. These condos are in a residential area and most people who live there are working-class (I saw many taxis parked in the driveways). This area is also one big honking hill and all the streets have a steep grade. If you want to get in serious shape, go move to St. John for 6 months and do a casual stroll around this neighborhood every morning.

The condos themselves are older but well-maintained. The architectural style screams 70's to me. They were also freshly painted (white and light blue). The pool looks like the newest addition and someone is going nuts with his or her landscaping project. I showed Brenden some of the native life (chickens, feral cats, and lizards) and he had fun chasing after some of them (all too swift, lucky for them).





Once Jon woke up we took B swimming in the pool to wear him out. We were all wore out by bed-time.

Digging the Ocean

Momnb, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

We're back from vacation, and I'm sick again. Same shit, different day. I'm getting caught up with everything and will eventually get around to posting a trip report. I have posted some of the photos from the trip on my flickr account and have a bunch more to process. We have a new camera and a waterproof casing and we were snap-happy on this trip.

In a nutshell: vacation was fun but trying, because doing anything that disrupts a toddler's routine means there will be hell to pay. The good news is Brenden loves the beach / ocean as much as I had hoped. Matter of fact the hard part was getting him to leave the beach. We had several episodes of having to drag him away kicking and screaming.

I would just like to take this moment and thank Stephen Hillenburg from the bottom of my heart for his inspired creation of "Spongebob Squarepants". Without the season 4 dvd's, none of us would have made it out of this vacation alive.

Anticipation and Trepidation

Trunk Bay@St. John, originally uploaded by NNBB_Alf.

I just did a search on my own blog and I am amazed at how many posts about James Bond I have written.

I have nothing else to say about that, I was just amused.

I'm impatient for work to be over. Even though we don't get on the plane until tomorrow, I will really feel like I'm on my way when we head for Atlanta this afternoon. Everything is packed, including the few liquid/aerosol/gels in less than 3 oz. sizes that I'm taking in my carry-on packed in one quart-size ZipLoc baggy (not a gallon-size, not a fold-over or twist-tie). The TSA folks will probably throw mine away because it's a Target knock-off baggie and not a real ZipLoc. Life in the 21st century is so much fun!

I want to get to Hartsfield by 5am local, even though our flight doesn't leave until 8. I'm hoping security won't be as crowded, plus if it is, we'll have plenty of time to go through. It should be an absolute hoot getting through with Brenden in tow. People are always pissed at other people with small children in tow. Now I get to pay for every time I was annoyed by some poor overtired child having a meltdown and their harried stressed-out parents. I bought every little toy and treat with Spongebob on it I could lay my hands on for bribes. We also have our portable DVD with season 4 of SBSP but that's for me too. All the websites with travelling tips say it's a good idea to keep your kid distracted as much as possible. I should go to Wal-Mart and buy 30-40 pairs of ear plugs for the passengers around us. I am worried about Brenden's ears, too - he finishes his antibiotics today, but how can I tell if his ear infection is gone? If it was caused by a virus the antibiotics would have been pointless (although the conjunctivitis cleared up rapidly).

Wow, this worry is stressful. I may need a vacation after all of this.

St. John or bust!

Caneel Bay, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

We're getting everything ready for the trip - we're leaving Wednesday night and staying at a hotel near Atlanta because our flight leaves at 8am. I'm trying to bring everything I think we may need yet trying not to pack the house. Packing used to be easy before Brenden!

Speaking of Monkey-boy, his ears and eyes seem to be better but the antibiotics I'm giving him have given him a case of oral thrush. That's a yeast infection. It's not dangerous but it can make for a cranky child. I have packed many surprises and treats (code name:BRIBES) for the plane rides. Pray for us, or at least the poor people who have to sit next to us.

Bond. James Bond.

James Bond, originally uploaded by knoopie.

We saw a movie last week!! It took 2 days but we saw Casino Royale, the new James Bond movie featuring the new Bond, Daniel Craig. I knew something was different when the opening credits features silhouettes of men beating the crap out of each other, instead of naked dancing chicks. For the record, Chris Cornell sang the opening theme.

The James Bond franchise has always been the David Bowie of movies (although that's kind of an insult to Mr. Bowie). He has survived so long because he adapts his musical style to the times - He reinvents himself but stays the same, if that makes sense. So does the Bond franchise. This time, the producers paid attention to 2 things, the first being Batman Begins, which was a 'reset' of the Batman franchise (and believe me, I have no problem ignoring the Joel Shumaker Batmans and I was never a big fan of the Tim Burton ones anyway). The second thing, and more importantly, is the Bourne franchise: both The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy had lots of fun, sweaty action without ever resorting to gimmicky gadgets or too-ludicrous stunts.

The sad thing is they missed the fact that Christian Bale and Matt Damon are a lot of fun to look at and Daniel Craig, well, is kinda ugly. But no matter: I never thought Sean Connery was good looking, George Lazenby was a non-entity, Roger Moore was cardboard, and Pierce Brosnan was nice-looking but not my thing (Timothy Dalton was a hottie but he didn't make it past 2 movies). The fact that Bond never was attractive to me (except in The Living Daylights, perhaps my favorite of all time) has never altered the fact that I unconditionally love Bond movies. Yes, even the really stupid Roger Moore ones.

So even though I find Daniel Craig very hard to look at, I must admit he is well-cast here as the proto-James Bond. He's just got his license to kill and he's a bit of a thug. The script actually sort of follows the book (which I haven't read since college) to even keeping a torture scene and all I can say is *owie!!* for Bond. Jon didn't like this movie because he didn't think it was a 'Bond' movie, but I liked it for just these reasons. Bond sweats, bleeds, makes mistakes, and even falls in love. The action is well-filmed and tense and not stoopid. They did keep a few tropes: the bad guy is a sweaty ugly creep of Northern European extraction (but is not trying to take over ther world for once). *I* loved this movie. I have always clamored for more serious Bond movies and I finally got one. Hooray! I hope they remake some of the other old ones.

Now that it's acceptable to have story arcs in TV shows and movies I would looooooooooove it if they built one for Bond (yes, the books had a story arc, if I remember correctly). Then we could get to On Her Majesty's Secret Service which is a great James Bond story but very few people have actually seen the movie.

What, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I took Brenden to the doc's yesterday and he has an ear infection plus conjunctivitis. He's on antibiotics and some children's Motrin at night seems to help him sleep better. He kept me up most of the weekend. Now it's my turn today - I have something nasty developing in my lungs. I'll go to the doc's today and beg for some cough medicine. It hurts bad to cough plus what ever I hack up is a nice murky green. Hope you aren't eating your morning donut, just now. We need to get this all cleared up because vacation is in 9 days.

Here's a meme via Nancy:


1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00
2. How do you like your steak? Medium
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Wedding Crashers, I think.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Battlestar Galactica!
5. What did you have for breakfast? Coffee. Not much appetite right now.
6. What is your middle name? Linn.
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Caribbean.
8. What foods do you dislike? Anything with fruit cooked into it. I love fruit but don't bake it to mush please.
9. What is your favorite chips? Doritos.
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Music? What's that?
11. What kind of car do you drive? Saturn 4-door something.
12. What is your favorite sandwich? Cubano
13. What characteristics do you despise? Bullies. I can forgive just about everything else but bullies piss me off.
14. What are your favorite clothes? PJ bottoms and a tee-shirt! Me too!!
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? With the family? By myself? I'd stay here for a week or two: Gibney Beach. I'd just lay in some groceries and go swim and snorkel when I want and then come in and read books while listening to the ocean. If I had the family with me it would be the same island just something a little more accessible (and cheaper).

16. Favorite brand of clothing? The brands that fit. Still fond of Levi blue jeans.
17. Where would you want to retire? If I were a bazillionaire, my own island. Since I'm not, Oklahoma looks nice.
18. Favorite time of day? Only on weekends, the 2 hours that B naps. That's *me* time.
19. Where were you born? Kansas City, Missouri
20. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball! To quote an old boyfriend, it's 10 minutes of action jam-packed into 3 hours, but that's why I like it. I can put a game on then read a book and look up when I hear the crowd cheer.
21. Pepsi or Coke? Coke!
22. Beavers or ducks? Ducks. Otters, on the other hand...
23. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Morning but not by choice.
24. Pedicure or manicure? No.
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Brenden taught a little 15 month old girl how to push a button on a water fountain at the doctor's office. I'm just amazed that he's that social.
26. What did you want to be when you were little? An astronaut.
27. What is your best childhood memory? Swimming in the ocean.
28. Piercing? Ears
29. Ever been to Africa? No.
30. Ever been toilet papering? No.
31. Been in a car accident? Yes.
32. Favorite day of the week? Saturday.
33. Restaurant? Currently it's Logan's Roadhouse. Why? Because it's noisy and you can throw things on the floor. That would make it Brenden's favorite restaurant as well.
34. Favorite Flower? Tulips.
35. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate chip.
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Popeye's. I loove their red beans and rice.
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Less than Spongebob. Never, really.
38. From whom did you get your last email? Someone who want to sell me something to increase my penis size.
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I'll have to go with Amazon.com too.
40. Bedtime? 9:30 pm.
41. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? whomever wishes to do this.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Ileana. Dad couldn't come with us because he was getting operated on. I can't remember the restaurant but I had fajitas.
45. What are you listening to right now? The tapping on my keyboard
46. What is your favorite color? Blue.
47. How many tattoos do you have? One. That's enough.
48. Favorite magazine? Popular Mechanics. No, that's not a joke.

Meowing for Juice

Easter, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Dad is out of the hospital and both he and Ileana are in better spirits. Dad was making William Wallace jokes so I know he was feeling better. After talking with the doctor who actually performed the surgery, they both feel more optimistic about his treatment options. If I heard him right, he'll be recuperating for 3 more weeks then visiting an oncologist. They'll be staying in Tampa for a while because access to medical facilities is easier there than in Oklahoma. I'm going to bring Brenden and Jon down sometime in June. They have a pool, so I know what B will be doing!

Speaking of, we had our first real conversation yesterday:

B: MeMeow! Mao? Mao? Mao?
Me: Sure, hon, I'll get you something to drink. (Puts sippy cup under water dispenser on fridge)
B: Nooooo! (points emphatically at fridge door, grabs handle), Eh, eh eh eh eh!!
Me: Okay, no water. What? (Opens fridge door)
B: (pointing at apple juice) choos! Choos!
Me: (giving in like a little wuss because that's the first time he said 'juice' ) Okay, hon, just a little. (pours small amount in sippy cup).
B: (grabs cup) A-shoo! (thank you!)

Sticker Boy

Sticker Boy, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I'm posting this photo because we need a good laugh!

The news isn't good - some of the lymph nodes were positive for cancer. My dad will be consulting with his docs today for a course of treatment. When she called me Ilu was understandably quite upset. So am I.

I'm back - busy catching up at work and I still don't have web access at home.

Anyhows, my dad is doing fine - his surgery went well and yes it involves the "C" word. The doc thinks he got it all plus it doesn't look like it spread to any other organs. The only question that remains is some lymph nodes surrounding the affected tissue. They were enlarged, but it isn't known because they were affected or simply 'reactive' (I assume meaning 'enlarged because of problem in area'). I'm waiting to hear from Ilu about the results from the pathologist.

I'm very glad I went - they both were quite happy I showed up. Waiting while someone is at the hospital is always the slowest, most horrendous and annoying wait possible and Ilu and I had a long one. We got to the hospital at 7:30 but dad didn't get called until several hours later. He didn't go into surgery until much later, and then there was recovery then waiting while he was given a room. In all fairness to the hospital once he went into the surgery we were given updates frequently on everything. Any way he got into his room at 7pm. Dad was feeling pretty groggy but in good spirits while Ilu was understandably frazzled.

I called Ilu yesterday and dad is up and about and hopefully getting out of the hospital today. I hope so. Hospitals have too many sick people in them to want to hang around there for too long.

Thanks, guys, for your sympathy. I'm going to Florida tomorrow to visit w/dad and spend time with Ilu while my dad has his operation on Thursday. Not much else to say, except they feel optimistic so so do I. Oh, yeah for my brother Ed:

Happy Birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
You look like a monkey
And you smell like one too!

Dad & Brenden

Dad & Brenden, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Hope everyone had a good Easter. Mine was mixed - besides news about poor Caboose, Ileana told me Friday my dad is going to have surgery soon - he's going to the Mayo Clinic today for consultation about the extent of the problem. I am joining Helly and a huge group of other people aboard the "Worried about Dad" cruise ship. That's all I want to say about this.

We had a nasty storm last Tuesday and I didn't realize until this weekend that we had no Internet service (that shows you how often I get on the computer at home). Apparently lightning hit pretty close to our house. Our neighbors lost some electical gadgets including their garage door opener.

I told you that to tell you this: I took Brenden on his first Easter Egg hunt Saturday and I got some photos but can't post them yet. It was set up in Sparkman Park, which is the park about 1/4th a mile away from our house. I put B in his kid carrier (I bought a new one - it's a backpack and can hold a kid weighing up to 50 pounds) and we walked over there.

The Kiwanis club sponsored this one, and I like how they did it - they found a good balance between competition vs. fairness. They divided up all the kids into age groups. In each age group's area they hid 1 golden egg, which was the 'grand prize'. All the other eggs were empty and plastic. After that it didn't matter if you grabbed 1 or 1000 eggs; every kid got the same little bag of candy.

So, when the whistle blew, all of us with little fry worked on encouraging our kids to grab eggs. Brenden picked up a handful and dumped them in some other child's basket. The mom of the other kid looked totally abashed. I was laughing and told her it didn't matter (maybe she didn't know the rules). So we ended up with a grand total of 2 eggs once the area was scoured clean. Brenden got distracted well before that happened and was trying to climb into the creek that bisects the park so I put him back in his carrier and we got his candy and walked home. He quit bitching at me when I gave him some of his loot. All in all it was fun but cold!

Sunday I raked and thatched our front yard. I chased B around for most of that, since I was unable to set the pool up for him because of the temperature. I did let him play with the hose for a while until he took his jacket off and sprayed it down. Our next door neighbor took some pity on me and let B play in her back yard with her son while I finished as much of the thatching as I could. I am surprisingly not sore! Weight training has its rewards.

Caboose

Caboose, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

It's been rough the last 12 months on animals in our family. Ralph, the norwegian swamp kitty, my kitty Vasquez, Ed's wife's doggie Ivan, and now poor Caboose. Rest in peace, guys and girls. You were all well-loved.

B and Me

B and Me, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Still smelling - what's more fun than blowing raspberries on your almost-2 year old's belly? Having your almost-2 year old blow them on your belly! Big old wet ones. I haven't laughed that hard in years!

Jon is going to work at the same company I do - he worked there before, almost 5 years ago. He will be doing support/training for an engineering software package.

Letter to Brenden month 22:

I don't know if it's the new day care, or it's simply time for you to start speaking, but your vocabulary has skyrocketed. I am still puzzling out your words. Here's some examples:

Shoo! - This is either shoe, or thank you, depending on context.

Noo! - This is either nose, or no, again depending on context.

Pay! - Airplane.

Ow! - Just what it means - ouch.

Keeedeee! - Kitty.

Tee! - Teeth

BeeBee! - either "belly button", or "mom, please open the garage door, I want to go outside" depending on context.

Heea! - "take this from me"

MaMao! - "I want something to drink, preferably milk" - a word you learned from Kitty.

DaDa! Daddy, or Mommy, depending on context. That's right, he refers to me as dada.


Speaking of the new day care, our next door neighbor wanted to quit her job to be with her son more. Her previous job? She worked at a daycare center. She was able to quit because she takes care of Brenden, plus some other occasional babysitting for other kids in the neighborhood. It works out great for all of us, so far. She's smart, kind, and patient, and works with Brenden on what I wish I could work with him on more - talking.

I love it because in the morning I can walk Brenden over to her house, even if it takes 10 minutes because B insists on investigating every blade of grass in between here or there. The types of trees that have seeds that act like helicopter blades recently went to seed so walks take even longer as I have to demonstrate to Brenden every seed's aerodynamic abilities.

Her son (Walker, and no Talladega Nights jokes from you!) is 4, and a pretty good kid. He's not a bully, but I see him get frustrated occasionally. I don't know how long this will last, but both Walker and Brenden are getting a little taste of what it's like to have a brother, at least.

Happy flesh-eating zombie cannibal or Chef Boy-ar-dee night?

Happy Cannibal, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I am well aware this isn't 'cute'. It is prety doggone gross, if you ask me Gross amuses me, however. Remember my pics of dead squirrels floating in my pool?

To my happy amazement, I can still smell. This round of steroids seems to have left my sinuses open. I am absolutely thrilled. My sense of smell isn't as strong, but that might just be because I'm used to smelling things.

Jon is currently in Moab, Utah enjoying a last-minute vacation w/some buddies. He starts a new job this coming Monday. The Drop Zone is alive and well, before you ask.

Kitty

Spooky Pooky, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I can still smell today - it's balanced now by a honking sinus headache I've had for 2 days. Beats sneezing I guess.

This is either funny or not, depending on how you feel about cats: Cats here. I should warn you: occasional rude language, much bad spelling and Harry Potter spoilers ahoy.

Have a good weekend, y'all!

Amazing details about my Sinuses

SandN, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

This post is in response to Nancy's comments from my last post, concerning my allergies.

Oddly enough despite the asthsma attack, I have had no symptoms whatsoever, except (2nd verse, same as the first) swollen sinuses, swollen enough to prevent me from smelling very well. My nose isn't runny and my eyes aren't itchy at all. I attribute this improvement to 3 things:

1) Nasonex, which prevents the runny nose. Awesome stuff, I have been using it since I started skydiving (back in 96).

2) the removal of the carpet from my house. I really think this helped with the hay fever symptoms because I'm not having any. Plus, I sweep just about every day and I'm constantly amazed by the amount of dirt I sweep up. I was a lazy vacuumer in the first place, plus that carpet was from the 70's...! I had realized a little while ago that my sense of smell had completely disappeared not too long after we had moved into that house. I know because I had bought a plug-in air freshener thingy for the kitchen and I had complained to Jon that it wasn't working. He insisted the kitchen smelled like a flower shop.

3)The allergy shots. Clicky here for a good definition of what these do, and I swear they work for me. I got slack on these shots after my pregnancy and no amount of Nasonex in the world kept the hay fever symptoms away.

As far as my sense of smell goes, instead of being completely gone it comes and goes. It has been mainly gone this last month because of the weather (and plant sperm). I can improve my sense of smell (and taste) slightly with OTC nasal spray but I can't use that constantly so I tend to only snort the stuff when I make a particularly tasty dinner or we go out to eat. I use it maybe 2-3 times a week and never more than once a day with at least 48 hours in between uses. I also use a saline wash (NeilMed) to keep my sinuses rinsed out. I try to do that once a day but sometimes I'm lazy.

I took my last dose of Prednisone this morning, and I am interested in seeing how long my sense of smell lasts. On a scale of 1-10 I would say my sense of smell is at a 9 right now. I can smell the coffee I bought, that general ozone smell a place with a bunch of electronics get, my deodorant (Arrid Extra-Dry), and the Tropical Coconut hand lotion I use. I can walk down the hall and smell everyone's perfume and after-shave. It's quite nice.

"Landscaping" a year ago

stick, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Hooray! Starbuck is alive!!! And Tigh is a .... cylon ....
I guess I'll figure it all out in 2008.

My sympathies to those of us with allergies in the Southeast that woke up last weekend to find a ton of plant sperm deposited on their vehicles. Many people around here are walking around with their eyes almost puffed shut. I have been doing fine, but I had an interesting trip to the allergy clinic last Friday for my shot.

Due to the pollen overload I guess my immune system was already stressed out and I had a severe reaction to my shots. I developed a pretty classical athsma attack. The doc loaded me with epinepherine (whee!) and when I could finally breathe again he gave me some Claratin and a prescription for Prednisone.

Prednisone is the fine medication that allows me to smell things like a normal person, so at least there's that nice side effect. I won't be able to use any while on vacation because the possible side effects of continued usage are not something I particularly want to experience.

I bought monkey-boy a small swimming pool and actually got some yard work done this weekend. As long as he has a pool to splash around in and a hose to spray I don't have to chase him down the driveway every 2 minutes to keep him from running into the street. Plus, I get my lawn watered.

I had big plans last year for the landscaping at our house but it looks like all I'm going to do this year is get rid of every single frickin bush that surrounds our house. I ripped up the degenerating cloth weed barrier (pulling up a ton of weeds that have grown on top of it - see photo) and layed down some new mulch. Once I actually figure out what I want to plant I'll be working in some compost into the soil. I want tiny, pretty plants not obnoxious bushes that need to be in barrier hedges. I'm also going to remove the uneven plastic edging that separates the "landscaping" and the "grass" (see photo). I haven't decided whether to replace the barrier with bricks or maybe some sort of edging grass. I'm leaning towards the brick barrier but that might be too time-intensive.

Monkey-boy, incidentally, managed to scrape a cheek, both knees, and garner a bunch of other little bruises and scrapes this weekend. He loves being outdoors! I brought him in on Saturday after one good knee scrape and only then did he howl. I gently dabbed at his knee with a warm, wet washcloth and he snatched it away from me and scrubbed at his kneecap. He looked puzzled, like he couldn't understand why the pain wasn't coming off. I put his feeding chair on the floor in front of the TV and propped his leg up on a pillow and we ate dinner watching Spongebob. Normally we eat in the kitchen but I felt like babying him a little.

Rainbow over Francis Bay, originally uploaded by Vicki_H.

What we're watching:

It's been tough to watch movies at our house with Monkey Boy around but we've managed a few. We watched A Scanner Darkly the other night, and it is perhaps the finest adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story ever ( other adaptations: Blade Runner, Screamers, Minority Report, and Total Recall). Directed by Richard Linklater and starring Keanu Reeves (and the well-cast Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrellson as 2 paranoid stoners - this movie only missed Mathew McConaughey and his bongo drums), it's a story about the drug war in the not-too-distant future. It was also shot live and then run through an animation process known as "interpolative rotoscoping" which IMHO gives the movie that perfect disconnected-from-reality feeling that you get if you have ever read any of Dick's work. Two thumbs up, but it would be a big mistake to watch it with your mind altered in any way.

Other than that it's been T.V: 24 is still the same old 24 - lots of running around and trying to find the bad guys. Lost is still the same old Lost - lots mysteries coming out of mysteries without any real resolution. Battlestar Galactica is still Battlestar Galactica: ripping my heart out of my chest and stomping on it every chance it gets.

I'm not just talking about Starbuck's suicide ("Hey, Starbuck: what do you hear?" "Nothing but the rain") - this show keeps echoing its past in ways that just make me cry. Lee and Bill mended their rift when Starbuck was lost and presumed dead way back in season 1. Now they are both so lost in their bergs of grief the rift is back, bigger than ever. And then Lee went and pressed Laura on the witness stand and Laura begged him to stop ("Captain Apollo... that has a nice ring to it") and managed to remind us of their once friendship just as Lee destroys whatever was left of it for good.

I thought this show was starting to slump some during the latter half of this season but it has managed to wake me up just in time to beat me senseless. Sunday is the last ep of season 3 and I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it or not.

Bunny Feet!

bunny feet, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Here is a link to some great photos that illustrate my favorite place in the world: Wish I were Here.

Letter to Brenden, Month 20, 21:

I just realized I skipped month 20 and I'm late with this letter, too. Your mommy is a slacker, honey. I hope you didn't inherit my slacker genes. Considering your excess of energy, I am thinking you didn't. You still refuse to associate words with a better form of communication, preferring to grunt, gesticulate, and lead us around by the finger to get what you want from us (and pitch a hissy-fit when we say "no"). You are Drama Boy now, as well; after you pitch a fit you will give us the grand poopy face and sigh. Man, it's funny! And where do you get that crap?

Physically you are the 2 year-old equivalent of a jock. Dad took you to the park the other day and let you play on the jungle gym. Your fearlessness turns my head more grey than it is but I am also impressed, especially with the way you love to throw yourself down the slide head-first, laughing all the way into the gravel pit.

Around the beginning of the year dad and I decided we needed to get out more, so Wednesdays are Family Night and we take you to various restaurants. You do pretty well, all considered. We take you to the van for a little time-out if you get too vocal (no one likes a screeching child to accompany their meals). But you get it out of your system fast and we've never had to just leave.

Speaking of food, you are pretty flexible. You won't eat most vegetables except peas and green beans (so I feed you a lot of peas and green beans), but you are an avid fruit connoseur and will eat most forms of protein I have offered (as long as it isn't too chewy). You have discovered the wonder that is ketchup, and will eventually eschew the foods I offer along with the ketchup and simply dip your hand in the wonderous substance and lick your fingers off. You will also decorate your face and hair, clothes, and surrounding furniture but that's ok. That's what garden hoses were made for.

The oddest food preference you have (in the category of fruit connoseur) is your love of lemons. I always give you my lemon out of my iced tea at the restaurant and you always lick and chew and eat much of it (all the while making faces). Last night, however at the Mexican place, you decided to squeeze the lemons we gave you all over your lap. That's the first time I have ever had to change a diaper with a fresh, lemony scent.

Navigating

navigating, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

52 days to go until vacation! I'm still at 129 pounds. I can't convince my body to lose more, for some reason. I won't cry about it - 129 is better than 150, which is what I weighed this time last year.

I owe Brenden a letter this month. I'll get to it later. I'm feeling lazy (and what else is new?), so here is 2 Memes, lifted from Helly who lifted from Basil:

1. The phone rings. Who are you hoping it is? A wrong number. I don't particularly enjoy phone conversation.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Yes. It's just wrong not to.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? I'm a listener.

4. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive? As long as I didn't panic I think I would be okay. All them hunting magazines I've read in doctor's offices seem to indicate panic is the #1 killer of people who are lost.

5. Do you like to ride horses? No. I am allergic to horses something fierce. Sandy <---> Horses = Matter <---> Antimatter

Lasts:
1. Last kiss: Last night, just before Brenden and I left the drop zone. Jon was staying over because he has to work on the King Air today.

2. Last beverage: Coffee. Will probably be my next 10 beverages.

3. Last movie watched: Talladega Nights - so that's Sacha Baron Cohen. It was funny, and despite the gayness I don't think I ever heard the word "fag".

4. Last phone call: Jon, wishing me good morning.

5. Last CD played: I can't remember that far back. I'm pretty much an XM person, particularly XM Kids. I've discovered I like happy tunes with goofy lyrics.

6. Last "i love you": End of last Phone Call.

7. Last time you cried: Last Monday, March 5th. At the end of a TiVo'd ep of "Battlestar Galactica". Starbuck died! May I please have a moment of AUGH!? I guess Tigh's title of the biggest Asshole in the Fleet is now unchallenged.

8. Last alcoholic drink: Last night, I had a Miller Light while watching Spongebob with Brenden just before bed. Brenden had his own sippy cup of milk.

Hypno - Bob

hypnobob, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I would like to blame the lack of blogging on a hardware failure (one of my disk drives crashed & burned) but that's simply not true. I simply don't have much to blog about. I'll do a point-by-point recap of some random thoughts that I wanted to blog about:

Diet: 129 pounds. I will most likely not lose that much simply because I'm almost back where I was with weightlifting before I got pregnant. I have come to realize a heavy weight workout makes me hungry beyond belief. I decided to compromise and eat more (but still enough to lose) so weight loss will be slower. Yes, any muscle I build will be heavier than fat but eventually that will plateau out.

Brenden: He loves pushing himself on his little tricycle (he hasn't gotten the hang of pedaling) up the driveway, then pushing himself down the driveway until he has built up speed. He gets pissed if I try to hold on, so I just run next to him in case he takes a spill (or a car comes). So my little monkey is a speed freak.

Vacation: 60 days and counting! I have bought a pair of women's board shorts for a swimsuit - I'm so glad that they are available! I fricking hate bikinis. Not only because of my flabby buttocks. I'm tired of pulling my swimsuit out of my crack constantly.

What I'm watching: Spongebob, mostly. My favorite ep is where Spongebob, Patrick, and Squidward go camping together in their yards and Spongebob sings "the Campfire Song Song" and Squidward gets attacked by a sea bear. I'm also fond of the episode where Spongebob and Patrick learn a 'sentence enhancer' and use it liberally. The soundtrack substitutes the sound of a squeaking dolphin, but it's a lot of fun to imagine the worst word possible when they're using it. I know Brenden watches it because of me, but Spongebob is such an unthreatening cheerful character, even if he does use an occasional sentence enhancer.

Honey & I at the USVIs

Honey & I, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Let's see...

I fell off the dieting wagon because I was getting too stressed. I feel better now, so I'm trying again. My current weight is 134, and I'm surprised it didn't go higher than that.

I have some motivation - a couple of opportunities fell into place and we're taking Brenden on vacation to the Virgin Islands in early May. I'm all excited about it. By opportunities I mean cheap tickets, of course. Spirit Airlines was having a sale and I managed to snag 3 seats from Atlanta to Charlotte Amalie for a grand. Believe me, that's cheap! We also found a room in a condo for a week for around a grand. And they let kids under 3 stay for free, which was a big factor. We're staying at Serendip Condos.

Jon and I also feel comfortable taking the car barge from St. Thomas to St. John so we are renting a Jeep at the airport and doing our own driving. It cuts a bunch of hassles and actually saves us a little money. If we have time (and I think we will), we can stop at the grocery store in Red Hook and buy some supplies because it's cheaper in St. Thomas than St. John.

As an extra added bonus the apartment has wireless internet but I don't know how fast or reliable it is. It would be fun to blog / upload photos while we're there.

We won't be doing much scuba, obviously, but I bet monkey-boy will just love the beach and the ocean, and I'll work diligently to prevent him from getting sunburned.

It will be interesting to see how well we pull this off.

Clean Laundry

laundry, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

While watching the Superbowl last evening, the stupid Bud Light commercial came on where all the men were slapping each other in the face. After viewing this, Brenden turned around and slapped his dad in the head.

He got a whuppin but damn it was funny!

In Response to Nancy's Comments:

ARRRR, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Actually, when I don't have colds, I can smell things. My sense of smell is still attenuated, but I have noticed a marked improvement since the beginning of the year.

Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway supply the voices for Mermaidman and Barnacleboy on Spongebob Squarepants. Clancy Brown supplies the voice for Eugene Krabs, which I always found profoundly disturbing.

carseat
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

I hope Helly's dad is okay. I hope Helly is okay! News like that can make for a long, long weekend.

I'd best write this entry before I get busy or like last week, I won't find the time. The twin themes of last week were stress and sleeplessness - the latter thanks to Brenden, who for some reason has forgotten how to go night-night. The stress was work-related: nothing serious just some heavy workloads with deadlines fast approaching.

I ended the week with a cold, one I didn't catch from Brenden. So far he seems fine. I have mentioned that I catch colds the way Willie Mays caught fly balls, right?

Big fat kitty is teaching Brenden how to speak. Any time I'm in the kitchen, BFK waddles in and starts meowing at the top of his lungs because he wants a kitty treat or a pet, or both. So if I'm in the kitchen, Brenden will toddle in and start going "Mao? Mao? Mao? Mao?" and won't stop unless I give him a cookie or some raisins. He's not satisfied with a pet on the head.

Brenden's eating habits are amusing me: I've managed to transition him to eating whatever we are eating with only a few forays into Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee land. These meals include Indian and Thai curries. He's handling the heat just fine, even though I do notice his milk consumption goes up on those days. There's a lot of speculation about children's food preferences being set in the womb, and maybe it's not all hooie because I ate spicy, spicy foods when I was pregnant. Brenden also loves lemon wedges. I know because I always give him my wedge out of my iced tea when we go out to eat. The faces he make are priceless, but he'll actually consume most of it.

Of all things, I have a consultation with a plastic surgeon today. He's going to look at the discolorations on my face (melasma or cholasma, also known as the "mask of pregnancy") which I've had since before I got pregnant. I think it was from birth control pills. I'm tired of it so I'm going to see what treatment options he recommends. I have a fixed price in my head - if he goes over it screw it. I'm self-concious about it, but not *that* self-concious.

Mom and Brenden

Mom and Brenden
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

While the rest of the world froze, those of us in Alabama had a balmy if somewhat windy weekend, with temps topping out in the low 70's on Saturday. Brenden and I spent some time outside; both at the dropzone and at home.

On Sunday we were playing in the leaves I have yet to throw out. Brenden decided he wanted to play in the van, so I let him. At one point I asked him: "do you want to do see daddy?" He excitedly said "Dada!" and looked around for him. I said, "If you climb in your seat, we'll go see daddy!" I said it a few times, but finally he got the idea and climbed into his seat. I buckled him in and off we went. My god, we're finally communicating beyond "No!" and "Whaaa!" although there's plenty of that too.

I'm down to 129. I was forced to buy a pair of jeans because the ones I have are just too baggy. I bought a pair of Wrangler's and bought the size I wore compulsively in college: 30 waist, 30 inseam. I'm happy to report they are loose on me. I only bought one pair because I want to lose a little more. I'd kill to find a steady supply of 28-29, which is my real size about now. 30-30 is the lowest most places stock.

I need to write about Deadwood eventually, because it's the most fascinating show I've seen in a long time. 24 has started again, BSG and Lost are returning soon, so I'm thrilled. American Idol is coming back soon too, but I intend to use most of that time this year doing something else, like clipping my toenails.

Chill out redux

Chill out
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Cut & paste meme from Nancy

1. Elaborate on your default icon.
Me and el jefe. The full pic is on Flickr - me with a sardonic stare, Brenden all relaxed.

2. What's your current relationship status?
Married for 7 years.

3. Ever have a near-death experience?
I think so - a car crash when I was 15 and broke my back. My brain pragmatically said "uh-uh, not going to be here" and I have no memory of the accident.

4. Name an obvious quality you have.
I know a little bit about most things as opposed to super knowledgeable about a few things. Is that a quality or being a superficial know-it-all?

5. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?
The Veronica Mars theme song - We Used To Be Friends. I blame Nancy.

6. Name a celebrity you would marry.
Hm. Nope, can't think of one. Marry a twinkie? Erk.

7. Who will cut and paste this first?
I doubt anyone will.

8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?
Never.

9. Do you wear a watch? What kind?
My $175 swiss army watch is broken. My Burger King Star Wars watch is broken, too but it cost me a lot less.

10. Do you have anything pierced?
Ears. 2 in left, 1 in right.

11. Do you have any tattoos?
Celtic knot band around my left arm.

12. Do you like pain?
Depends on what I'm doing. I like the pain of exhaustion from working out because it means I'm accomplishing something. But pain for pain's sake? Disgusting.

13. Do you like to shop?
No.

14. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
A roll of 100 stamps out of a machine. Put 2 $20 bills in, was given a Sacagawea dollar as change.

15. What was the last thing you paid for with your credit card?
Does American Express count? I haven't used a real credit card in 6 or 7 years and can't remember the last time I used it. If so, then a toy chest off of Amazon.com.


16. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
my husband. I *hate* phones.

17. What is on your desktop background?
Brenden riding Tigger.

18. What is the background on your cell phone?
No background, just a screen with numbered buttons.

19. What was the last movie you watched?
Snakes on a Plane. It was a movie about snakes on a plane.

20. What was the last book you read?
Olympos, by Dan Simmons. Nifty!

Brenden in the Field

Brenden in the Field
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Hooray, new pictures!! Ileana is sending me a cd of the photos that were taken on her new camera and brother Jon's camera from Christmas. She sent me a few which were posted on Flickr. I love this photo: this was from a day where Ilu, Andrea and I walked over to the old house, then walked over near the pond. I carried Brenden for a while, which I'm happy to say was not exhausting (it would have been 6 months ago). When I set him down he toddled on back to the new house, which you can see in the background.

I think one of my favorite moments on Christmas day was hearing my dad laugh during dinner. He was laughing at Brenden, who, at 2 in the afternoon, had refused to nap. Poor B was in his high chair and nodding off while stubbornly trying to stuff more food into his face. The deep need to sleep won out and Jon took him upstairs to nap after using a finger to sweep his mouth for stray food. Jon said the poor kid was so out of it he never even flinched when he stuck his finger in his mouth.

So my diet and exercise plan is working fine. I'm at 131 which is nice, and I can actually see some of my abdominal muscles again. I still have a lot of flab (which Brenden likes to play with, ew), and while I have a long way to go to regain my strength, I am progressing at a fairly rapid clip. And in case you are wondering, no you can't lose weight and gain muscle, but gaining strength does not necessarily mean gaining muscle. I might write more about my dieting plan later, if I actually stick to it.

Brenden worked hard this weekend and can now properly say 'kitty'. He also said 'Elmo!' and can point to his nose, tongue, and chin if I ask him. We're working on 'ear', 'hand', and 'toe'. He likes to say 'pabaa!' 'pabaa!' (his new attempt at spongebob) when we watch the show. When the fish comes on during the opening song, he opens and closes his mouth just like a fish. It's cute.

Unbaa! Unbaa!

spongebob squarepants
Originally uploaded by max remmelts.

Letter to Brenden Month 19:

Hey, Bud. Christmas was fun but exhausting as your physical skills develop but your common sense remains dormant. I suppose in order to have common sense you have to be able to have coherent thoughts, and in order to think coherently you need to be able to speak.

I could swear you are juuuuust on the verge of getting the idea of language. I was thrilled while we were in Oklahoma that you were able to recognize both brother Jon's cat Lucy and Andrea's cat Geidi as "Kitty!" (pronounced 'tseetee'). And I was so proud when your dad called me up yesterday to tell me you had said "Spongebob!" (pronounced 'unbaa'). I'm so proud!! *Sniff!*

We also think we heard you say something that rhymes with "sockplucker" which tells me we shouldn't be watching "Deadwood" while you're in the room.

And the coolest thing is when I ask for a smooch, you plant one on my cheek. Sometimes you headbutt me, but that's okay.

A photo from a year ago

Tour Time
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

'06 in Review (the highlights):

January: Brenden stands up!
February: Brenden and I visit Oklahoma.
March: Saw Walk the Line. It certainly wasn't Brenden's hospital stay!
April: Opening the pool (slow month!).
May: Vacation in Oklahoma and Helly and Alan's Wedding (not so slow month).
June: Brenden's first birthday.
July: Brenden's first haircut (another slow month).
August: Sinus surgery (the highlight there were the Lortabs) and Tennessee vacation.
September: Vasquez passed away (not a highlight but memorable enough). I miss my kitty.
October: Took Brenden to his first birthday party.
November: House remodeling.
December: Christmas in Oklahoma.

Wow, do I have a dull life! Actually that's good and I'm not complaining. If I asked for an interesting life, I'd probably be teleported to Baghdad or something.

Last year's resolutions were to watch more movies and be nicer to my husband. I think I accomplished those, but I still need to work on them both.

Here are this year's resolutions:
1)Eat less (DUH!). I weigh 133 right now. I'd like to get to 125.

2)Exercise more. I simply want to return to the shape I was in just before getting pregnant with Brenden.

3)Maintain a budget, the details of which I shall not bore you.

Happy new Year, everyone. This is my third attempt at writing a blog entry in the last week; I haven't been busy as much as too tired.

christmas in Oklahoma was great - I spent most of my time chasing Brenden. He didn't react well to being in a new place and he tended to wake up constantly, which meant that everyone else in the house woke up constantly as well. The last 3 days we were there I had Jon go sleep in the garage loft with Andrew and Jonathan and I kept B in bed with me. He was sleeping pretty well by the time we left. Everyone was pretty gracious about Brenden's hyperactive nature. They also showered him with Christmas loot. Pictures to eventually follow and more on that below.

I really didn't do anything while we were there. I read some - I reread "Into Thin Air" which is a fascinating account of a disastrous season of climbing on Mount Everest, and made progress through "Olympos", by Dan Simmons. I really can't think of anything else I did.

I spent most of the holidays dealing with the tail-end of the cold B gave me. I wrote several paragraphs detailing what I blew out of my nose and comparing it to a jellyfish invasion but decided better and deleted it.

I didn't get much for Christmas but on the other hand I didn't really want much. I got some nifty bunny slippers, some nice hoodies and a comfy robe. Hell, I tried to hold back a couple of hundred dollars from the stock sale check when my company went private, but I *still* couldn't find anything I wanted. I put it on the airplane instead. All I want for Christmas is to be the hell out of debt!

Actually, I fell in love with my brother Jonathan's camera. It's a slim Canon digital. Ileana got one for Christmas. Both husband Jon and I loved their cameras so much I didn't really use my old digital one while we were there. So we have tons of pictures but I have to beg Ilu and brother Jon to send them to me.

I think the best part of Christmas, besides seeing Ilu and Dad, was spending time with Andrew and brother Jon. I really haven't spent much time with them since they were kids. Andrew is a big movie nut and it was funny listening to him and Andrea argue about stupid movies. Is this stuff genetic? Also: Drunken Boykin Monopoly was a hoot.

I have lots more to blog, but I'll have to write later. I should get to work.

6 months ago

crawl
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Our holiday preparations are pretty much in place: we leave for Oklahoma to my dad's place this Saturday. It will be us three, my sister and her husband Eddie, and brothers Andrew and Jonathan (dad and Ilu's kids. I say kids but they are both grown too). With all them kids you think dad would have more grandchildren. All of us are slackers!

Brenden and I had a rough weekend. He was sick with a cold and a lot of coughing - he would wake himself up then wake me up. I could get him back to sleep with a little water, rocking, and meds, but then it would take me forever to get back to sleep. I have some kind of bug now - so far I'm not sure what it is, maybe another sinus infection.

Speaking of my sinuses, I am occasionally experiencing good days, where I can smell without loading up on medications. This development is encouraging. I'm sure it has a lot to do with getting rid of the carpeting. I'm also trying to be scrupulous when it comes to my meds.

I also have a quick "what we're watching" update: the Discovery Channel has been showing a 6-part series "Everest: Beyond the Limit" which has been fascinating viewing: apparently Mount Everest has become so damn popular to try to climb that the most dangerous things are the traffic jams. The series, of which the last ep which airs tonight, follows one group as they attempt the climb - the coolest things are the Sherpa-cams. The entire series will be shown concurrently starting at 5pm (eastern, I presume) New Year's eve, if you want to set your TiVos. If you read "Into Thin Air" you might like this series.

Yippie-kay-yay!

yahoo
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

A meme from Nancy:

1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, go down to the fifth sentence
3. Post the text of next 3 sentences on your blog
4. Name of the book and the author
5. Tag three people

The Book: Dynamic HTML, by Danny Goodman

The text:
For Internet Explorer 4, the TextRange object and related functionality is guaranteed to work only on Windows platforms. The macintosh version of I.E. 4.0., for example, does not support the TextRange at all. Plan your deployment accordingly.

I'm not going to tag anyone. My dear sweet Neptune, I need to read something for fun!

Big B, little B, what begins with B?

Big B, little B, what begins with B?
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Short butts- I mean bits

Last night Jon and I watched Super Size Me, an amusing/scary documentary about fast food. He didn't tell me anything I didn't know, except he went into explicit detail about why fast food is bad, mmmkay. But remind me, when it's time for my son to go to school, to investigate for myself what kind of crap they're feeding him. I remember what our high school served: starches, covered in starches, with a side of starch. And ketchup, which was our vegetable.

Brenden is 18 months old and was given several dozen Hotwheels as a gift. Yes, I let him play with them, under my supervision. Really the only danger they pose is for us adults. Hotwheel + slick floor = twisted ankles.

I'm losing weight again - I have been dieting since the end of October with mixed results. I am happy that I'm still on it despite the holidays and the abundance of free candy left over from Halloween at work. I now weigh 135, which means I am now taking off the weight that I gained just before I got pregnant. I have been exercising by walking and Jon and I have started back on weights. While one of us does our reps, the other one plays with/corrals/bribes Brenden.

Family Portrait

Family Portrait
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

What we've been watching:

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: Not as good as the first one, but a welcome addition to our DVD collection. Why? Pirates! Sword fights!! Monsters that gave Jon and I nightmares!!! No, really. We both had seriously vivid dreams about Davey Jones and his crew the night after we watched it.

Nacho Libre: Rented because we both like Jack Black, who should receive an Oscar for the actor having the most fun with his career. The movie itself was... odd. It's helpful to know about Mexican wrestling (which is a hoot, especially if you have watched only WWF in the past).

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow: Nifty concept (retro sci-fi), but Meh execution. I like Jude Law, but he's a bit too androgynous for some of the roles he takes especially this one. The movie has some nifty Giant Freakin Robots, which is always a plus.

In the series world, everything seems to be on hiatus or in repeats. Battlestar Galactica is still showing first runs and this season might be the best one ever. Last night's episode, where Kat's past catches up to her, made me cry, and the episode before that where Starbuck and Apollo resolve some old issues by literally beating the crap out of each other was terrific. And I'm glad to see Colonel Tigh back on the job!

Veronica Mars shifted format slightly for the 3rd season (don't worry, no spoilers here) and I think is still trying to adjust. Veronica's in college now and instead of one big mystery per season, the writers have changed it up into 3 mystery arcs. The first mystery was put to bed and I have mixed feelings about this arc. Still I'm going to stick with this show because the first two seasons were so awesome.

Mememememe!

Using our new kitchen
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Hey, One word Meme time:

1. Yourself: lazy
2. Your spouse: hyper
3. Your hair: long
4. Your mother: retired
5. Your father: grilling
6. Your favorite item: camera
7. Your dream last night: Ugh
8. Your favorite drink: Guinness
9. Your dream car: Mustang
10. The room you are in: cubicle
11. Your ex: gone
12. Your fear: incompetence
13. What you want to be in 10 years: rich
14. Who you hung out with last night: family
15. What you're not: organised
16. Muffins: chocolate
17: One of your wish list items: robe
18: Time: fugit
19. The last thing you did: read
20. What you are wearing: jeans
21. Your favorite weather: warm
22. Your favorite book: worn
23. The last thing you ate: cheese
24. Your life: nice
25. Your mood: active
26. Your best friend: husband
27. What you're thinking about right now: coffee
28. Your car: Saturn
29. What you are doing at the moment: coffee
30. Your summer: fun
31. Your relationship status: better
32. What is on your TV: Pirates
33. What is the weather like: cold
34. When was the last time you laughed: seven

Brenden being Curious

Brenden being Curious
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Short and perhaps not so sweet this month:

Letter to Brenden 18 Months
Hooray, my sweet little fella; you are now a whole year and one half! Many websites, blogs, and discussion boards state that the terrible twos often start early and you are no exception. What you are displaying is frustration, often because you have to deal with the word "NO!" many, many times during the day. You attempt to vent your frustration by throwing or hitting things, or hitting me - you tried to pull that on your dad once.

Once.

Naturally, these actions invoke another spate of "NO!"s from your loving parents and you don't know what to do. Welcome to Earth.

Up, up and away!

Squee!
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

What we've been watching (the Good, the Bad, the Ugly but not in that order:

The Bad: Strangers With Candy - this movie may be the straw that broke the camel's back. I had to review it and I am still trying to come up with 700 words to say "It's not my cup of tea". Bleh.

The Ugly: BloodRayne - I know better than to watch an Uwe Boll film, but I ended up watching this because of an unfortunate exchange of information with my husband. He was going through the OnDemand movies, reading the descriptions and stopped on Bloodrayne. I said "Hey did you know Michelle Rodriguez and Kristina Lokken are dating?". Bad move - he immediately turned on the movie, despite my assurances that it sucks. I really don't know if they are dating for real, they might just be best buds. Still, more power to them if they are.

As for Bloodrayne, it was actually entertainingly bad, with a whole bevy of embarrassed actors including Sir Ben Kingsley. The Queen is going to take his knighthood away if he keeps slumming in crap like this. The best was a perfectly miscast Micheal Madsen as some sort of medeival vampire hunter. Rodriguez and Lokken are simply unfortunately here, but at least it looks like they got more out of the movie than a paycheck.

The (really, really) good: Superman Returns I loved this movie! I'm very glad I saw the 2 original Christopher Reeve Supermans recently because this movie takes up where they left off (thankfully ignoring the 3rd and 4th movies). Superman has been away for 5 years, unsuccessfully trying to find remnants of his homeworld. When he returns he finds things have changed radically - Metropolis and Lois Lane have moved on, having found a way to live without the man of steel. Bryan Singer directed - he did the first 2 X-Men movies and I don't blame him for dropping X-Men for something as iconic as Superman (although the X-Men franchise suffered from his loss).

Singer plays off the original 2 movies like I mentioned as well as the comics, and he gives the movie his own touches. The one I liked best are all the characters (except perhaps Jimmy Olsen) have more dimensions. Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) benefits the most. He's still the evil genius buffoon, but he's actually somewhat scary in this movie. Lois Lane is still your standard feisty reporter, but she is prickly and hurt as old wounds open when Superman returns. And Superman himself (played by Brandon Routh who is spooky in his resemblance to Christopher Reeve yet doesn't do an impersonation) seems so lost and alone even as he saves countless lives. Singer gives Superman an ethereal quality (as well as overtly touching on the Christ/Atlas/Prometheus imagery). It also doesn't hurt that Routh is almost disturbingly beautiful.

If I have quibbles the movie drags in places, and my biggest problem with the movie I can't really discuss because that would be spoiling it. Let's just say that Jon and I had a mini-argument about why Superman can't have a relationship with a human woman and it degenerated fast into territory that Kevin Smith would be proud of.