You're Fired!

This morning I was informed that my services were no longer required at my house. I should take Daddy's truck and go to work, and he could stay home. He makes better lunches, can build stuff better, and is willing to be a human jungle gym.

The List

My list seems to have grown a bit since the diagnosis of my heart disease. For some reason, I seem to be facing each fear on my list this week. 1. Butterflies 2. Marshmallows (yeah, I don't like white food. especially those.) 3. Snakes 4. Creasing paper 5. Putting my head under water (this has to do with having been in end stage heart failure. I used to be a strong swimmer) Now not all of these are crazy. OK, so the creasing paper fear is nuts, I know. I visited a butterfly conservatory last week. It was one of the creepiest things I've ever done, and I'm pleased to cross it off the list. No need to do that again. This weekend I'm going camping with Kate on an island off the coast of Maine. We are calling it a Visionquest...but we are bringing good vodka and marshmallows, so I'm not so sure. At any rate, maybe I can cross #2, #3, and #4 off the list as well after our trip. I've heard that those white fluffy blobs of corn syrup are tasty when roasted over an open fire.

He filled each hole individually. One at a time.

Me: I didn't know that's how you filled the ice trays. John: I didn't know you were interested. Me: I'm not sure this marriage thing is going to work. John: I knew I should have bought an ice maker.

Hey, it's been a year.

candles
Originally uploaded by gaiagal.

Happy birthday, blog!

Interview with the kid

A Father's Day interview conducted and recorded by Lily's teacher: Why I love my Daddy: Because he's my dad...and, uh....next question... What color hair does your Daddy have? Black What color eyes does your Daddy have? Uh, that's a hard one. Black. How tall is your Daddy? About 50 weights. What does your Daddy like to do? Shave, build....that's about it. Oh, he likes to play with me. What is your Daddy's favorite food? Bolongna My Daddy is happy when.... I'm good. Sometimes he has about this much patience. *holding up fingers to show an inch*

Dinner 6/11

Dinner 6/11 Originally uploaded by gaiagal.

Wow, I even impressed my husband with this one. Normally he doesn't notice the difference between a fancy gourmet spread and a 10-minute thrown together meal. "It's a keeper" he said. (referring to the recipe, I'm guessing. ) Grilled tuna with wasabi butter Rice cakes with seasame seeds Cuc and orange salad Lilster has an appointment at Boston Children's tomorrow, please cross your fingers for us. We're then headed for fun in Boston...Science Museum and the Public Gardens. The museum has a fabulous exhibit on butterflies, so I have to check my fear of them and try to enjoy it. Lily will LOVE it.

A new selling point

Must consider putting this on my list of "needs" when looking for a home: A Witch's Ledge

Oh yeah...that.

I got a couple of reminders this week that my kid's heart isn't normal. I actually manage to forget somedays, which is a place I'd never thought I'd be. She had a dentist appointment today - "the dentist is great!"- she exclaims. She has to take an antibiotic to ensure she doesn't develop endocarditis each time she visits the dentist. Well, bubble gum medicine simply adds to the fun as far as she's concerned. Today the mailman brought a reminder card for our upcoming check-up at Boston Children's on Monday. All the cardiac tests. Let the anxiety begin.

Bad news for my hometown and family

General Motors to cut 25,000 jobs

Wagoner wouldn't say which plants are in danger of being closed, but David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., said the most likely targets are several older plants. Those include facilities in Janesville, Wis.; Doraville, Ga.; Oklahoma City and Pontiac, Mich., he said. The Janesville plant was built in 1919 and the Doraville plant was built in 1947. The other two plants were built in the 1970s.

My dad worked at the plant, and so does my sister and her husband. Actually, there aren't many families in town who don't depend on it.

Mouser

Mona captured and slept on a mouse today.

The New Yorker!

Nancy Loving,our fearless leader and visionary at WomenHeart just announced that she has raised a ridiculous sum of money in order to place the new public service ads in the New Yorker. Look for it in September! The PSA will be in a special fold-out format, featuring all 4 of the "white-blouse" photos. We had enough money only for a targeted ad buy, so the PSA will appear in these markets: NYC, Washington DC, Miami, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, San Fran, LA, and all of AZ. It will reach 650,000 of the New Yorker's 1,000,000 readers. In case you've forgotten...here is our photo. Just refer to me as you famous modeling, heart-diseased, won't-stop-blogging-about-it friend. By the way, 4.6 years ago they (the docs) said almost no one with my heart function m(at that time) makes it past 5 years without a transplant. That big day is November 10th, and I plan on having some sort of event. Any fun ideas?

New International Adoption Study

CHICAGO -- They are often born in poverty and civil strife, abandoned, put into an orphanage, and then suddenly uprooted and sent to live an ocean away with strangers from another culture. And yet, children adopted from abroad seem to adjust remarkably well, according to a new study that challenges the widely held notion that these youngsters are badly damaged emotionally and prone to disruptive behavior.

More.... thanks Lester!

Eating while crying

What I'm eating: vanilla ice cream with salted cashews Why I'm crying: lack of time to blog Go watch these people crying while eating. Thanks to Jenn for the link

Lily's school photo This morning we pretended we were dragons while getting ready to start the day. We determined that dragons probably don't brush their teeth or wear underwear, but she was willing to bend the rules in those circumstances. Four is the best age. I just can't imagine it getting better than this.

money, money, money, money

I haven't had a paying job for 5 years, and getting used to not having a paycheck has been strange. Now I'm giddy with the cash I made on eBay. My hat sold for more than 10 times what I listed it for. And, I have extra tutoring gigs because final exams are coming up for the high school kids. Hooray for Spanish verbs and the trouble kids have learning the subjunctive mood! I'm off to dig through my closet to see if there's any old stuff in there someone else might want.