Everybody working for the weekend

There is just something luxuriant about a long weekend.  So much so that Tia and I opted to extend it a little further by taking off Friday as well.  It was the first weekend in some time that I can remember really relaxing, in between all the projects and errands we lately find ourselves embroiled in.  Of course, we did some of those too. 

Friday was a spa day.  Started with some chouquettes (an eggy donut-like pastry topped withsugar) and chocolate croissants still soft from the oven from St. Honore.  We then ambled down to the spa, where we soaked our feet, drank tea, and had warm oil scalp massages…followed by 90 minute full  body massages.  It is a rare treat that we both expect to be rarer once the baby comes (both because of cost and time).  We finished up by dropping off some paint for recycling and lunching at Grand Central (who have the BEST cowboy cookies you can buy…second only to the ones Tia makes).  Of course, being us, we then managed to get outside and trim some hedges, mow the lawn, and otherwise work on house projects. 

The rest of the weekend followed a similar pattern, leisure and work.  Of accomplishments and down time.  We drove up to the casino (lost a sum total of less than $10 between the 2 of us), took in a happy hour at Trader Vics (the most amazing crispy coconut shrimp and some seriously potent Mai Tais), and made dinner for my in-laws.  Also, we pressure cleaned the driveway and walkways, trimmed every hedge, bush, and plant in the front yard, weeded, hung shelving, cleaned, registered at Target for baby stuff, put together a bed frame, bought a mattress and hauled it home, and ran a smattering of other errands.  We also faced off with my old arch enemy….mulch.

For some reason, mulch ALWAYS misleads me.  It seems like each bag should go so much further, should cover so much more ground.  I had guessed maybe 8 bags of it for the front in between all the plants (and mind you, it isn’t as though we live on a palatial plantation-like plot of land) and Tia went ahead and picked up 12, which should SURELY be enough.  Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t nearly enough.  So, we have one half a finished product and one half looking better than it did before, but rather less than impressive comparatively.  Damn you mulch!  

So, what’s left?  Well, as Tia reminds me always, the projects NEVER end when you own a home.  We still need to paint the stairway, mulch the other half of the yard, and finish up the back yard’s planting.  Plus, god knows how many other things I have forgotten.  The projects aren’t all fun, but they are rewarding and I am invested in the outcomes.  Still, it is nice to be able to step away now and again and just do something fun with no real goals or intentions.  Now if there were only a few more long weekends.  Preferably every weekend.  

Little Talks

It is a curious thing writing a blog.  It serves both as a window (however draped) into my life and my muddled thoughts and as a diary of sorts for me to look back on and remember more acutely and possibly more accurately, the events that have led to this point in time.  It can also be hard to come up with topics to discuss when life can at times prove fairly rote and, dare I say it, ordinary.  This isn’t a bad thing for the purposes of actual life, as no one really wants to whipsaw from crisis to crisis, but it can make it hard to document without a degree of tedium shrouding every word.  

While I think it fascinating that we have put together an actual garden with actual growing things in it, it doesn’t exactly lend itself to the written page.  While I feel accomplished every time I put together something that works well for our house (our new bench!) or fix things, it translates poorly here.  Hence, the general lack of new text appearing on this site.  

Speaking of tedium, work remains remarkably staid.  Still little to no help here in the clinic and, conversely, they seem to have little need of my assistance in the hospital.  So, when the load is light, I am left largely to myself.  Plus, now that wound care is no longer here, I am literally by myself.  I suppose I ought not complain about being paid for being available to work rather than actually working, I can’t help but feel like I would just as soon be sent home so that I can be productive doing something else.  That said, I suppose we need the money more now than we need the lawn looking especially well tended and, much as I would like to have them done, there are few things on the to-do list that can’t stand to wait another day or week or month.  Plus, these are the kind of days that make up for the ones that you barely get lunch and never get your breaks. 

The rumor mill continues to grind the grist of a dozen conjectures.  They are interviewing someone from Colorado!  They have hired someone already!  They have 3 viable candidates!  They have no viable candidates!  We will have a director soon!  They are going to hire a manager instead!  They are going to hire both!  And on and on they go.  As with all else, I will post when events warrant.  Until then, assume like I do that nothing is in the offing...and you will most likely be correct. 

Tia continues to have her sleep troubles.  It has got to be infuriating knowing that it is just the beginning of such occurrences.  Some people say it is the body preparing for the lack of sleep to come.  But, if I knew I was going to be fasting tomorrow, you can be sure I would eat as much as possible tonight.  I would think the body would do the same.  All I know is that I feel badly for her.  On little sleep, I am clumsy, grouchy, and overall brain addled.  It is like, well, like most Mondays really.  

Not much else to report upon, so I will leave you (and me) with my current go to song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghb6eDopW8I&ob=av3e

Fixing things

There is nothing quite like home ownership to teach you how to fix things.  Home ownership + the internet + hardware store = weekend.

This past weekend, we learned all that we could possibly want or need to know about fixing windows including new terms (to me anyway) like balances and sashes.  But, after a bit of searching, we fixed a window that had been broken since we moved in with about 10 minutes of work.  Then, while Tia was away, I 'Ikea hacked' some Besta furniture and made some custom benches for our former dining area.  With the application of some better structural supports and outdoor bench cushions, we now have an awesome window seat with great underneath storage that looks like a built in.  Now this weekend our dryer stopped working and, after some more searching, we took the whole damn thing apart and tested the door switch, the thermal fuse, and the starter....all of which of course worked upon testing.  Then I put it all back together and, somehow, it worked.  I don't know if this counts as 'fixing' it, but Tia's logic is that it didn't work before and it does now, so it counts.  At the very least I now know how to take a dryer apart.  

We also managed to divest ourselves of some garage clutter.  If you have some garage clutter, follow these simple steps: 1. Put item on CL under 'free'.  2. Await responses......lots of them.  3. Get rid of clutter.  Truly one person'a trash is another person's treasure (and in our case, most of said trash was left in the garage when we moved here).   Eventually, with a little luck, time, and effort we may have an organized garage space...a manicured back yard that cultivates actual food...a complete nursery...and a more usable kitchen.  Now if we could just find a little extra time to work on all these things.

No changes at work.  Some rumors circulating about a possible new director coming in from Colorado, but it is hard to say if there is any truth behind it.  Typically it is little more than talk and certainly there is nothing substantiating it.  We shall see.

Speaking of running around, perhaps some food would be a good idea.  Now if we could just find the time to make that happen.

May Day

These are the times that it is tough to blog.  There isn't much of particular note that has changed since my last post.  The garden is now actually growing (abetted by the copious Portland rains).  The yard is looking more and more like we want it to, instead of just cultivating weeds.  The nursery is nearly done (although it has remained nearly done for some time).  There are many projects to be done of course, but it is all happening.  

As for the baby front, we are now (per the app) about 100 days from sleep becoming a fond memory.  Tia continues well (despite the horrendous acid reflux) and things are progressing as they should.  We are learning that child care is something that you need to explore prior to even having one.  Terms like 'wait list' are omnipresent.  And good lord are they expensive.  For 5 days a week it looks to be between $1000-$1350/month and about 10-15% per day less.  Yikes.  

On the work front, little has changed.  We still have no boss.  The clinic still limps along with just me 4 of the 5 days a week.  There are still staffing problems.  There is no real forward momentum, though I guess stasis is better than continued deterioration.  On the upside, I am still left mostly to my own devices.  

I have had opportunity to meet with the COO of finance, though the meeting unfortunately was mostly spent trying to explain what it is we do and offer suggestions on how to best cull the data they are trying to collect.  So, in summation, 2 months after meeting with the nurse exec, we are still trying to find a way to collect the data that can begin to determine the financial viability of the clinic.  Meanwhile, I saw 3 uninsured and 1 marginally insured patient today.  Sigh.  I still hope that they will consider a way to keep me around part time come the fall.  We shall see (don't worry about what you cannot control).  I will post as events warrant.