Here we go again...

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Man, I love my neighborhood!

So, Friday was a pretty mellow evening- just hung out and watched a Radiohead dvd (Netflix).

Saturday we did yardwork ALL day, punctuated by a birthday party and then back to the yardwork. One of the guys Rick was friends with in Iraq (he's a nurse) was just accepted in PA school and his wife was just accepted into PT school. They'll be here for at least three years. They went house-hunting and found a fab house in the historic neighborhood where Crunchy school is located. (Mehnke Park for you locals) There was nothing quite right in my 'hood.

They came down and we all went to the local Belgian Bistro. We then came back and our neighbors came over (with beer, of course) and then another neighbor and his buddy showed up with more beer and some grilled shrimp appetizers. We all ended up in the pool until 2am.

Sunday was MORE yard work but no neighborhood swim parties as EVERYONE on the street was doing tons of house and yard work.

Yesterday- yup- still more yardwork (the downside of having 4 city lots). Yesterday was kiddie day in the pool. A bunch of the neighborhood families came over- 4 different families, from 18 months to 8 years old. More beer, more swimming. Everyone is so funny! Rick's friends came over as well. Nikolai was so tired after swimming with all of the kids that he nearly fell asleep over his mac and cheese. I made an amazing crock pot tortilla soup (yes, I'll post the recipe).

It was a fantastic weekend. I love how so many people are getting to know each other!

J.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Well, I have a house full of strangers...

Rick left this morning for Honduras, his friend and his wife moved in to our upstairs until they can get into their house, she actually left Wednesday to go home to get the dog and wait for the Army to come pack up their west coast stuff. Rick's friend's room-mate from college is doing his residency in Galveston and they were evacuated this afternoon. I told him to tell them to come here. Why the F not- I have plenty of room, lots of beer and a pool. and it's free.

Rick's friend from high school is outside of Houston so I called their other mutual friend to make sure that the Houston contingent knows that they can come here, too.

Could make for a very odd weekend of various circles of my husband's friends, especially since he's not here!

Hope all of the iMSNers in East Texas and along the coast stay safe.

ETA: and honestly, they're all currently Active Duty or National Guard or former enlisted so there's an inherent level of trust that I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

The evacuees and Rick's friend are off doing the water park scene, Nikolai and I are chillin' at home (getting some much needed alone time) and the Houston contingent called to say that they were fine. Our friend in Houston described it as "goofy." They have no electricity but he has a generator. He said that trees are down everywhere so no one is going anywhere any time soon.

Galveston looks horrible. I'll be interested in hearing if the evacuees have heard from anyone. they were anticipating heading back tomorrow but I'd be surprised if they let people back in that soon.

Haven't heard from Rick but I wasn't really expecting to. (funny that we had better communication when he was in Iraq.)

Other than that, we're expecting a lot of 'guests' at work this week. Should be interesting.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

The evacuees have gone home to Oregon- his PD basically said that they may be looking at placing the residents at other hospitals for the rest of the year. (man, what suckitude)

Our friend goes to settlement on his new house today.

I go to Dallas for a boring reaccreditation training.

Dude goes to the neighbors for 24 hours.

Rick is still in Honduras.

Dogs go to Camp Bow Wow for 48 hours.

Cats hang tough.

that's it.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Quick update because I'm exhausted:

The training in Dallas was bo-ring but Nikolai had a great time at the neighbors. They're ready to have him move on in.

We've pretty much accepted that we're going to keep him at Crunchy school instead of sending him to the public school- the public school one street over from my house. It's a magnet school and it's got a pretty good reputation and it has a Spanish immersion program. But I don't think their general kindergarten is that great and his temperament would not work in the immersion program. I like Crunchy school and he's learned so much there.

Besides, chances are we'll have to rotate somewhere for a while so it doesn't make sense to keep moving him around unnecessarily. He's already an Army brat and has already moved 4 times in his 4 years and been adopted by people from another country and his daddy deployed for 7 months and I think stability is a good thing!

I'm toying with the idea of doing a Team in Training marathon- the Austin marathon is in February or March. There's an informational meeting on Saturday. I'm also toying w/ attempting to actually run the damned thing. 7 hours of walking was a LOT (Dublin Marathon 2001).

Work is good, they've moved my position around and I get a bit of a raise- not much but it all adds up. Today we met with the San Diego doc who is their head honcho and who also runs their sobering and detox program. He was really interesting. They've estimated that their public hospital system and the charitable hospital around the corner are saving 18 million dollars a year by providing this service. and that's not even counting the fact that the clients aren't in jail for public intoxication or clogging up the ERs or the cost of ambulence service- that's just inpatient hospital days. Dig that!

My husband is up at Ft. Hood. He should be home about 8pm tomorrow night. They all go up so as to avoid the possibility of someone actually being assigned there. Good god, no. Killeen, TX is not a highlight.

My SIL has had some very successful parties that I'll post links to in the fashion section. and she's planning my brother's 40th birthday party. My baby brother. Jeez, I'm old.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Quick update because I'm posting from work and my boss is panicking over some information I need to get to the City which will take about 10 minutes to do but she's OCD and is out of town and has a blackberry- a horrible combination. (are you done? now? now? now?- and i'm really just waiting for one more piece of the pie before I can send it...)

My husband added four more years to the commitment to the Army. With this economy I'm perfectly happy to have a federal employee paying the big bills. He's got one more fellowship that he wants to do but has some Army stuff to finish up, first. Whatever- he can do whatever the heck he wants- I'm not moving unless the Army makes us.

My parents are here- I pulled dude out of school for two days to hang with the grandparents.

There's a Child Neurology Society meeting in Santa Clara, CA- we were both going to go but I've decided that there's no reason to lose $ from not working and have to pay for doggy boarding, etc. We'll go to my parents house during the holidays for my brother's 40th birthday instead. He's going to go to CA and he can see my MIL and I'm off the hook.

OK- one more email from the boss just came through. I need to go and peel her off the ceiling.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

I am the most overpaid and overqualifed data entry clerk, EVER. THREE weeks now I've done nothing but input data into a database. The upside is that by doing this, the state has agreed I don't need to input other information into their craptastic electronic medical records system AND once it's done- it's done forever.

and I just plug in my iPod and sit. I reward myself every few hours and surf for a few minutes (like right now)

I'm nearly finished so I should probably get back to it.

This weekend is AleFest at the Hemisfair Plaza (our 'spaceneedle') and the following weekend is the CircleFest- the festival that crunchy school does. then Halloween!

J.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

So, what is new?

The DC house goes on the market on Election Day and comes off the market on Inauguration Day. If it hasn't sold by then, we'll re-rent it. I jknow lots of people connected to the political world so they will be getting the links to the house. and of course, on 11/5 I'll know which campaign headquarters to send information.

Speaking of the election, I have to say that I'm obsessed. Like SERIOUSLY obsessed. I think I'm going to have to take the 5th off and take to my bed.

Rick left this morning for the CNS conference- first he's visiting the relatives (so psyched to hear that Antelope Valley, CA is site of the perfect storm of Neo-Nazi White Supremacists. Doesn't surprise me in the least, though.)

and speaking of Idiots in the Antelope Valley- one of the breeders knocked up the new girlfriend. Since his mother is raising his first two kids, I guess she'll get the new one, too. He's a fine upstanding member of the community- a slovenly jail guard w/ no brains and a gun. (who didn't believe me when I told him the only way he'd be able to get a job as a police officer would be to get a degree in Criminal Justice and lo and behold- I was right!)

Can you tell I'm delighted to not have to go? Rick will need 4.5 days of a conference in Santa Clara after a few days w/ those people.

Nikolai is doing well, loves his school and his teacher. I'm not pulling him from there, I just can't see that he'll get as good an education w/ our other options. (other private vs. public vs. Charter)

My grandmother is NOT doing well. I think she's done. She's been falling a lot the past few weeks and sure enough, on Monday fell on top of some large ceramic crocks and fractured her ribs. She was rushed to a trauma unit and she's been there since. If she makes it through Christmas I'll be surprised. At 92 with 3 kids, 5 grandchildren and 5.75 great-grandchildren, she's done her bit. She was born in Canada but her father died (fell through a skylight) when she was 9 months old so my great-grandmother brought them back to Pittsburgh (w/ her husband's coffin on ice in the storage compartment of the train) and there she stayed.

My brother and my cousins and I have all decided to go to the funeral when it happens except that my cousin Sarah is due on 12/29 and isn't allowed to travel after 12/15. Hopefully my grandmother can hold on until after March. It's not looking good though.

My left foot is once again totally f-ed up so I will be contacting my friendly NP to see what they can do. I'm also going to be scheduled for Total Uterine Destruction sometime near Thanksgiving. yeah baby. They're also going to tie the tubes just to make 100% sure that nothing EVER happens. I can't even begin to say how psyched I am. My GYN is a really cool guy (Army) and I very much liked his personality. (I usually just go to the NPs because Luanne will beat me if I don't)

In other unrelated news- I have to get back to painting the house. The hallway is started. I'm hosting an neighborhood election night shindig because I can't be left alone that night. After that- it's back to painting. I want it all done my the first of the year but that may be a lofty goal. I need to take a week off but can't with the DC house on the market with no renters. I need the Magical Money Fairy to show up!

c'est tout!

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Tomorrow my beloved husband gets home from California. Of course, he's getting home too late to help me w/ the neighborhood gathering but eh, add it to the list of crap I've done by myself over the last 8+ years.

So, while he was in California, he ran into a fellow Army Child Neurologist who informed him of a fellowship opportunity. In DC. For a year. I guess he thought I'd be all excited to go home.

Well, I'm not. I'd love to go back to DC for any other longer period of time. A year? No. Let's see, rent the TX house, find a rental in DC that allows dogs (like two 50 pound dogs), pull Nikolai from his school, find a school for a year somewhere in DC. Find a job for a year? Really?

I'm so over other people's careers impacting my life. Starting with my Dad in second grade and right on through to right now.

He's welcome to go to DC for year. I'm not uprooting my life for 12 months.

Jenn

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Well, his insanity was temporary. He's still interested in the Epilepsy fellowship but that's in Houston. Whew.

The week was a whirlwind of social activities- the Election Night party was great fun and on Saturday we were the last house on the neighborhood crawl. I made hot mulled wine (crockpot recipe- super easy- I'll post it) and Mexican hot chocolate for the kids- and we made s'mores over the grill outside.

The drunkards cleaned me out of beer and wine but that's the price one pays for a socially lubricated 'hood.

We're expecting several large payments from the Army- the Board certification pay (which they owe us from June-present), his extension bonus and the increase in "thank you for being a neurologist" pay. Now, they just have to get here. I'm glad we don't have to sweat this stuff anymore. I mean, sure it would be great RIGHT NOW but it'll be great whenever it gets here. My job owes me back pay since September 1 so it's not just the military, that's for sure. They may owe me back pay for a year, if my boss can swing it. I'll take it.

I'm mentally figuring out the Thanksgiving menu- it's just going to be us. I'm kind of sick of entertaining after all of the shin-digs I've hosted since we moved in. I may be re-energized to do the SuperBowl party again. Vegetarian Times has a fantastic sounding menu, if I can convince my husband to be bird-free.

Tomorrow is a day off for Rick and me but not for Nikolai. I think we're going to go to the movies and have a lunch date or something. A novelty. A kid-free day! I'm giddy at the thought.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Wow- I haven't posted very regularly, have I? I guess I've posted other things in other sections.

Thanksgiving was great- very relaxing. I made a bunch of stuff from the November Cooking light- the Lamb shanks were AMAZING! I made the goat cheese and chive smashed potatoes, the craberry sauce and the double ginger pumpkin flan for dessert. YUMMY! It was fun to have the entire day to play undisturbed in my kitchen. Today I'm planning to make a vegetble stew that is cooked in a sweet pumpkin from Vegetarian Times.

We've been getting to know more of our neighbors with kids. We were invited to play Tripoli with a few neighbors on Friday which was great fun. I'd never played before but it's a cross between poker and rummy with betting. All the kids ran around like banshees and then settled in to watch a movie.

We've also decided to send Nikolai to the local public school after some discussion with some of the other parents in the 'hood. Really, the way to improve the San Antonio ISD is to send our kid there and volunteer. The school is a charter school and goes to 8th grade so he wouldn't have to go to the crappy junior high. (like the Army will keep us here that long....hahahahahaha) All of the current Circle School (aka Crunchy School) parents have decided that their kids will go to the local school, too. I bet the SAISD has NO idea how many little kids are going to descend upon them. Since it's a charter, lots of families who work downtown try to get their kids in, too but the 'hood kids have priority.

Other than that, I'm getting ready to throw around a few token Christmas decorations- I hung my wreath today- it's more a fall wreath than a Winter/Christmas wreath but it's not like we have pine trees and holly in great abundance in downtown San Antonio anyway. I did see a GREAT wreath today made from cactus- it looked super cool. (I just read in the paper that San Antonio has NEVER been below zero degrees f. Ever.)

The shopping is essentially done. I may add a few things for the dude but that's it. Amazon had the entire set of Mozart cds on sale yesterday for $74- regularly $200 or something so I got them for my impossible to buy for dad.

I loved having four days off from work. It's been really strange there the past few weeks. We've had some bizarre things happen and my boss is a stressball. Hopefully she'll come back refreshed from a few days off. I'm taking the month of December to prep for the prep for our accreditation which happens every three years. It's a pretty huge deal and they want me to get the detox unit accredited, too. great. No pressure at all. I can do it my part and hope that everyone else does theirs. The downside of my job is while I have a ton of responsibility, I really don't supervise anyone and can't really 'make' anyone do anything. Kind of annoying at times.

Oh well. Nothing else too exciting going on. My grandmother is in the rehab hospital, doing better. I personally think it's because she's getting regular food and hydration as much as it is the meds and the PT.

The rest of the relatives are fine. My youngest cousin who is a sophomore in college was 'amazed' that the rest of us are all on facebook. It was pretty funny. I mean granted, I am 23 years older than she is so I'm sure Rick and I seem ancient but it was hilarious! She's at that stage where she's so much more aware and mature and interesting than the rest of us. She didn't come for Thanksgiving and for that I think my aunt was very thankful.

Well, I hear the dogs wrestling on the front porch so I better so make sure there aren't any puncture wounds. They have the lamb bones out there and Honey is a wee bit possessive...

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

TMI so look away men and the squeamish!







Friday I had my uterine ablation. First, I love, love, love the army OB/gyn department. Yes, it takes 10 years to get in to see them but once you're 'in' they don't let you go.

I finally got an appointment for a follow-up to the exploratory stuff in June ( totally my fault- I never remembered to call them- the thing that uh, 'prompted' me to remember to call was the day at work when I got my entire period at once. in a skirt. yeah. going commando through the methadone clinic is an experience not to be missed [I was luckily standing so I was able to get to the ladies room and clean up enough to escape])

So, I went in on Friday morning. My husband actually cancelled all of his appointments for THE ENTIRE DAY. My god, a first.

They did the procedure (basically frying the lining of the uterus with radiowaves) and after an extremely long recovery (apparently I woke up, threw up, told them I was in pain so they knocked me back out with Demerol) I came home. I had some chicken noodle soup, a gallon of water, and a percoset and all was well. Yesterday I still had lingering after effects from the meds. I'd never make it as an opioid addict that's for sure.

Whew. So, it's all over, the nasty part starts (think about it...) and in a month I'll hopefully have minor periods (apparently the kind normal people have- instead of the two 'heavy' days tampons at once, changed every hour for days on end which I though was normal for most of my life...I mean who talks about it to even know what's normal or not? It was normal for me. Since I was 15!) and in a month I'll get to have sex. (my poor husband)

So, sorry for the TMI but I wanted to let anyone dealing with this that there are non-surgical, non-medication alternatives.

J

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Well, enough of that hoo-ha.

I'm fine. Which is great because my boss basically was told by her boss that the process that we had envisioned taking the next nine months to accomplish to get our detox unit accredited has just been pushed up.

So I have three months to do what I had been planning on doing in nine.

I think I'll demand a treadmill for my office, along with a mini-fridge and a microwave and a nanny.

J.

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

More than a month since I've updated. Wow, I suck.

So, it's Ft. Hood night tonight and although it annoys me, as my beloved points out, better that he goes for two full days of seeing patients than him being stationed there.

My dogs are wrestling behind me right now. Stupid dogs. I actually went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and lifted every single stainless steel trash can, tried out the lids and the floor mechanisms so that I could find the ONE dog proof trash can. Petey must be going through some sort of Senior Doggie Rebellion because almost every day for two weeks he got into the kitchen trash can. One can only clean up coffee grounds so often before losing it. One day I just left it on the floor because I just couldn't do everything that needs to happen after work and clean up the f-ing trash ONE MORE TIME. So, with my coupons and determination, I have found THE dog proof trash can. and to boot, it has a big interior volume so there's no struggling to get the bag out, either. and it was dangerously close to $200 but after the two weeks I'd had, I didn't care.

In other home improvement news, I finally finished the entryway (vestibule for those familiar with the Victorian era homes!) and started on the hallway. Man O Man does it look better. It's been cold here a few times (like seriously cold. Not stupidly cold like our friends in MN are dealing with but freezing is freezing). Unfortunately, one side effect of a frickin' old house is that the windows and doors don't seal. At all. So, this entire winter we've 'sealed' the doors with hand towels and plastic bags. One of our neighbors is a man who makes the most gorgeous furniture (he just redid the entire bar at one of the big bars on the Riverwalk) and he does doors so we're thinking of hiring Pete to remake our front door. (http://www.odinaempire.com is their website)

Eventually, the entire rest of the house has to be dealt with. The next room after the hallway is the living room. Those iMSNers who have been to my house can attest to the hideousness of the mustard colored 'marbled' crown molding and chair rail (which is at shoulder height for some odd reason). All that has to come down and the outside walls are masonry which should make any patching extra fun. We keep hoping that the TV that my dad gave us will just up and die but nope- the Motorola from 1993 just keeps on ticking. I'd love a flat screen but I'm not buying a TV when we have one that works. Although it's so old we can't even use modern gaming equipment like Wiis. Oh well.

Other than that, I've obsessed about kindergarten to the point that it's reached the ridiculous. Rick took over and made the decision that we're sending him to the elementary school and enrolling him in the Spanish immersion program. I'm just glad to have the decision made, to be honest.

My job is bizarre. I'm once again an extremely overpaid file clerk but it's all a means to getting us through our two main surveys- one by the state and one to get accredited. It's fun but frustrating at the same time. I do thrive under pressure and I have missed it (as it turns out!) so I'm thoroughly enjoying myself although my boss and my colleagues are freaking out. Hey, I've been a Federal surveyor. We're trained to find stuff. That's what it's all about- you just have to hope that who ever surveys YOU isn't on a vendetta of some sort. I have seen some nasty stuff in my previous job and I can demonstrate that we're providing a valuable service so -not to worry. We've had close to 1000 admissions into our detox unit in 9 months. Sometimes it's taken multiple admissions but we have actually managed to get people sober and get them into our outpatient program and/or into residential treatment.

It's been interesting here in South Texas to read and hear about the Mexican drug wars. There was another bit on NPR today. It's really a Homeland Security issue as Mexico is devolving into one huge battle between drug cartels and the Mexican government can't contain the violence. So, I have half a mind to shoot the CEO the audio of the NPR show and tell him that we're funding ourselves with the wrong Federal dollars- we need to go after DHS monies so that we can reduce the demand for the drugs so that Mexico doesn't completely unravel. We already deal with the Mexican gangs at the methadone clinic. Not. Nice. People.

My husband was a rock star over the holidays. Money was tight so we focused on the dude and a few things for the relatives. He got his bonus from the Army for extending his contract (he gets this particular bonus three more times) so I called him and let him know. He asked if he could go get a laptop (since someone, small boy or one of two large dogs, stepped on his and broke it) and I said 'sure'. And then on the way from the Apple store, he stopped in Bailey, Banks and Biddle (I love that store) and bought me new diamond stud earrings. I don't wear flashy jewelry. (See Mexican mafia references, above) I rarely wear my engagement ring- just my wedding band and my Claddaugh ring my parents gave me when I was 16. (and previous to January 2nd, the diamond earrings my ex-boyfriend Jay gave me) These are PERFECT. They're not huge. Total carat weight is about .75. Absolutely the most incredible surprise. and the best part was that he gave them to me and said, "these are for putting up with me all these years." It was the first present he's purchased for me in YEARS and only the second piece of jewelry he's ever given to me. It was such a surprise.

The DC house may have an offer coming in tomorrow. Paying mortgages on two houses with no rental income SUCKS. Especially since neither house was cheap. Our realtor in DC said that things are definitely moving right now both due to the interest rates and to the incoming administration. He thinks that if we can swing it, we ought to leave it on the market through the spring. We'll see. It's no fun living like this, that's for sure. (all the rest of the bonus money went to bills and yes, he bought himself a motorcycle. I can't tell him no- it's his deal and TBH, he extended his contract with the Army to be able to buy a motorcycle. Who am I to say no? In some ways, I believe he's worked too f-ing hard to not get what he wants. Sure I'd prefer a car but the motorcycle was a lot cheaper!)

So, that's where we are. We have friends coming in tomorrow from ABQ. He's taking the psychiatry boards this weekend. (They're the same ones Rick took but they change the emphasis- Rick had a lot of psych questions to answer though!)

We've gotten pretty close to some neighbors- they have two little girls from China so we bonded over the bullshit of international adoption. Nikolai and Willa (their youngest) are best buddies. She's (the mom, not Willa) a PhD professor at UTSA in Political Science so needless to say, we have lots of interesting conversations. and, they're insanely liberal like 99% of the 'hood. We do dinner/drinks with them at least once a week. They're the reason why I've gone mostly veggie (again). (and I FEEL GREAT! and have lost lbs without even trying!)

I'm still planning on training for the half (whole?) marathon but had a slight setback. I ended up getting new shoes- went back to Brooks because my other shoes (saucony's) were too squishy under my broken toes. They forced my shins to work too hard to move the toes that don't move. Brooks have a much firmer footbed. ahhhh, the angels sang.

That's it from beautiful downtown San Antonio!

[DCJenn]

Re: Here we go again...

Well, it's been really busy and is now topped off with the fact that I have the flu. (so, yes of the three known iMSN members in San Antonio, two have now been beaten up by this bastid of a bug.)

Rick's motorcycle arrived. It's his facebook picture now, if that's any indication of how excited he is. I totally understand him wanting it for work though- ALL hospital staff are now required to park on the Army base and get bussed to the hospital (not on the Army base but immediately next door) due to all of the BRAC construction. It's great as a patient because there's finally easy parking but since he has to go back and forth to the AF hospital and the Army hospital- and can only park on the hospital grounds if he's on a motorcycle or a bicycle. (and he can't bike from one hospital to the other- SA is so not equipped for that level of bike commuting)

So, if he's squished, he better be all the way squished.

Nikolai has had a bad couple weeks at crunchy school- suffice it to say, they're not getting adequate supervision during afternoon hours. I've pitched enough of a fit though so I think it'll improve.

I think the most exciting thing is that one of Rick's lunatic friends from high school is getting married in London in August and I told him we are going. The British economy sucks as bad as ours so the exchange isn't nearly as bad as it was. and besides, the last vacation we had, just the two of us, was in 2003. That's terrible.

OK, time to medicate. I left the house today to run errands and I may have overdone it.