Mushroom Pizza

As you may know I am back on the WW. I have lost 15 lbs since September 6th, which is when I started. I kind of took a break during October, but now I'm back on it. I'm starving. STARVING!!! I just had a lean cuisine mushroom pizza that was gross. YUCK. I really hope for Elizabeth's sake she can eat whatever the heck she wants to her whole life, like her dad.

Grapefruit Juice and Computers

Random thoughts for today.

First of all, who the hell drinks grapefruit juice on purpose? Some insane family member came to my house, bought some grapefruit juice and left it. So today I tried it. YUCK. Jeesh, unless this shit cures cancer you should never drink it.

Second, why do computer glitches always work when the computer expert comes to your office, all the way down the hill from her building to help you? I mean, seriously, what was the difference when she was sitting there? How embarrassing.

Finally, I LOVE LOVE LOVE working out with my very good friend Autumn...thank the lord for her.

Life as a Yankee Fan

We're kind of bummed these last couple of days, we fans of the best sports franchise in history. Joe Torre has unceremoniously been dumped - unsure how we feel about these Steinbrenner offspring. Donny Baseball has left. Joe Girardi is the new manager so now Torre is going to the Dodgers? A-rod decided being paid more than anyone has a right to earn just to play a game wasn't enough for him - this is probably good, poof, leave.

But the still coolest thing: the Red Sox won the World Series and no one gives a shit. They're all still talking about the Yankees.

It's hard to be humble.

Fabulous Week

My family has just left and I had such fun this week. I have a million things to do, but I had such fun! Things we did:

1. Reupholstered dining room chairs
2. Organized the Princess's closet
3. Decorated more fully the Princess's room
4. Bought some clothes - found a new store
5. Went out to many lunches
6. Painted some frames for the Princess's room

I am sad the week is over, but what a fantastic time we had!!

Enjoying My Week

One of my top five favorite people on the planet is visiting me this week. She is my very fabulous Aunt Anne, who is my godmother and my aunt and my confirmation sponsor and my very dear friend. We spend hours just chatting and I love it!!! Now I watch her hang out with my daughter and it is so wonderful. She is fantastic. Now, if only I could convince her to move here, it would be great.

My Daughter

If you would like to be amazed by the cutest baby in the world...and the cutest husband/father...go to the following:

http://hobbesandmachiavelli.blogspot.com/2007/10/true-yankee.html

At a Conference

I am currently in a hotel in Denver, Colorado attending a conference with a colleague. I am really enjoying this conference. Last night I heard Benjamin Barber give a keynote that was a rousing call to action for all professors.

Am I stimulated by this conference? Yes. Am I getting a lot out of it? Yes. But what am I thinking of? The Princess.

One would think I would be thrilled to have my first full night of uninterrupted sleep since July. Wrong. One would think I'd like not having to change diapers. Wrong.

I want to go home. I want to cuddle my baby. I want to help my husband give her a bath. How things have changed...

Funny Funny Students

My senior seminar students are writing reviews of major pieces of literature. In order to complete this assignment, they need to send me via email their 7-8 page paper (book or article review for which they received explicit instructions) which I will then post on a website for all students to read. These are due a week before the presentation is due. So, the first set of presentations are tomorrow. Two students haven't sent in their paper, so I guess they get zeros. One student sent me the paper Friday at 530pm (the email is time stamped) and then sent me an email today wondering why I hadn't posted it on the website. I want to know, do they think I have nothing else to do on a weekend but check my work email anxiously waiting for their product, that is four days late?

So I'm thinking I may put on my syllabi in the spring that I will only be expected to answer emails from 9am to 5pm M-F. I often think how great it is to be a professor with email, but one of the drawbacks is I did not have instant access to my professors in undergrad. I could not send them an email and just assume that covered whatever I was doing. I actually had to make time to go to their offices during their office hours. This made me more responsible and also made it easier for my professors. I know I can't tell students they can't send emails, I am seriously not that much of a Luddite, but I am thinking that a work week limit might be appropriate.

On another professional note, go listen to my podcast:

Mayoral Debate

Neurologist

Yesterday I got in for a last minute neurology appointment. The guy was very nice, very soft spoken - you know, one of those low talkers. He proceeded to put me through the Bourne Identity quiz. Remember these four things, now tell them to me backwards. About 3 sets of those. Then I had to memorize four objects. Then he said...and here's where even I beat Jason Bourne...recite in reverse order all of the presidents you can remember. HA! Here's a thing my brain, even in its downest of times should be able to handle. So off I go, listing presidents, I hit Cleveland and the doctor was like, most people only get to Ford. He looks in my eyes. Makes me squeeze things and follow his finger. And then he says, you know when you are over 30 these things happen. Over 30?!? Now I am definitely too old to breathe!!! God.

I was kind of hoping I'd get a prescription that said I didn't have to wake up with the baby anymore. Then last night I was up until 130am and up again this am at 8am. How much of an intervention do I need before I start to behave???

Scary Day

Yesterday I went to the emergency room. I had never been to the emergency room, so I now feel I am an expert in all things hospital: surgery, OB, emergency. Here's the story why:

I was in a meeting with my department chair and a colleague. They were discussing something interesting - I'm sure, I don't know because my brain went on the fritz. I was trying to take notes and discovered I couldn't get my hands to write contact. CONTACT. So I began to panic. And then I couldn't write at all. I worked very hard to just write words and I couldn't. Then my arm went numb and I had a headache. I thought, here I am dying of a brain aneurysm and the last thing I will hear is my department chair pontificating about some bullshit. I get out of the meeting, make it through chatting with my colleague (which is fine since he's a bud) and then I get to my office and call my husband. I sink down against the wall to rationalize with him how I do not have to go to the doctor. He makes me call and I get referred to emergent care who says I have to not stop go and immediately check into the emergency room. So Paul picks me up, after dropping the Princess off at a friend's for babysitting (and now I am thinking she'll grow up without a mother) and off we go. The ER doc suggests it could be a mild stroke (which I am way too young to have had) or multiple sclerosis (which has more symptoms than I had) or a major migraine (but the headache isn't strong enough) ... I'm hoping for the last possibility. They connect all these wires to me, check my heart, take a bunch of blood, put me through a cat scan, and then I wait for results. Let me tell you my great-grandfather died of a brain aneurysm. He checked into the emergency room and never checked out. So this is what I am thinking. Telling Paul what to do if I die, where the bills are, etc etc. Called my dad. Tried to act all calm and shit. The results came back and there is nothing to cause these symptoms. So off I go to the neurologist today to have my brain checked.

Can I tell you how tired I am of having to go to the doctor???

A Great Day

On Saturday all of the most important people in the Princess's life were gathered to see her baptism. The priest was very impressed with her entourage and I was very impressed with how well everyone got along. The food was good. The night was fun. And the gifts she received from friends were wonderful and too much.

Thank you all for everything...the Princess is very lucky.

Family

My family descends this weekend. All of them. This has never happened before, but you know, the Princess brings out the crazy in all of us. So all of Paul's family and my divorced family...all of them, here in Ogden, this weekend. Luckily I said they had to stay at hotels because I'm not sure they all get along...

Where's the gin? And the wine?

A Little Mourning

Anyone who knows me knows I am a sap for animals. I can't watch movies that have animals getting hurt in them, I can't read that book Marley because I know the dog dies at the end, and I believe that Michael Vick should get the death penalty, and I generally argue against the death penalty. I love animals, all animals, not just my animals, but all animals. So here's a story about one little animal.

Fourteen years ago I heard a meow coming from a snow bank outside the building I was taking classes in. It was freezing cold in Syracuse and there was this little kitty meowing. I grab her, take her home with me to my apartment. Of course I'm not allowed to have pets, so I call my dad. I make this very compelling case for taking care of the kitty for at least a couple of months and then a friend of mine will take her. My dad very graciously says yes. I name the kitty Manute (after Manute Boll (sp?) who was very popular at the time) and bring her home. Of course my friend never takes her and she moves with me and my dad to our new home in West Coxsackie. When my dad first moved in there was no furniture, no other people (my dad lives out in the middle of nowhere) so Manute was his roommate. They used to sleep next to each other on the floor in what would become his room. Over the years she has watched a number of animals come and go. Every time one of us moved home we came with a pet, which we left. While my husband lived with my dad for a couple of months he climbed a tree to rescue Manute, and got much scratched up in the process. She was cute and sweet and she had no teeth. She never made a sound, she hated being carried, and her favorite person in the world was my dad. She used to sit next to him and just lean on him and if he wasn't paying sufficient attention she would claw him.

Manute left home Thursday night and hasn't returned. My dad called yesterday to let me know that he thinks she has heard the great kitty call and left. You know cats do this. They know their time is near and they go off to find a comfortable place. I haven't seen her in a year and a half and I would have liked to see her one last time. As I sit here and write this tears are rolling down my face. Wherever she is, I am sure she has found some nice soft soul to lean up against.