Reconnection

After about seven years of not having the internet, my office has reconnected. I have only been without it for 19 months. It is a strange phenomenon because when we did not have internet, all I wanted to do was have the internet and do things on the internet. It is rather strange now that we have had it for over a week, I feel no urge or desire to go on-line but it is nice to know it is there and it is nice for me to communicate with my clients and family members. Occasionally, I do think of something I need to google or look-up and it is nice to have internet at my fingertips instead of going through the drudgery of trying to connect through a phone line in the middle of the office where everyone can see what I am doing. Wikipedia, by the way, accessible on the internet, has a great article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet#Internet_and_the_workplace on internet and the workplace. I just found this at work by the way. Nice!

On the flip side, everyone is running scared that big brother is watching everything we are doing and are afraid to send an email to their spouse much less “surf” the world wide web. These are unchartered waters for many folks working with this agency because as long as I have been employed here, internet and Email were not available so it was a non-issue. In the end, you have to exercise good judgment and use the resources provided by your company appropriately and sparingly. I am looking forward to continuing to have internet at my finger tips and hope it does not get taken away because it would be hard to go back to not having it once you have been reconnected.

Partay Hang Over

Whew…

My daughter turned one year old this past weekend and we hosted a party this past weekend. The party went off surprisingly well and everyone had a good time. I was so nervous that I had a stomach ache before the guests arrived - it was painful and an ironic tribute on my daughter’s one year birthday. I remember the labor pains like they were yesterday. It is amazing how fast a year went by being a parent.

In the end, we had a good time and while there was too much food and drink, I think the party went off great! Family was in town and we had a lot of people under one roof but I really enjoyed having them over. My younger sister-in-law had never visited us in Colorado since our wedding so that was a treat too but the real treat was seeing all the kids interact with each other.

For all the fatigue and late nights, I am glad the weekend went off so well - I am looking forward to sleeping one of these nights but ‘til I can do that, I soldier on!

The people on the bus go....

photo courtesy of rtd-denver.com

So I made my maiden voyage on bus route 100 this morning, an RTD bus that takes me from very near my home to the office. It literally drops me off at the back entrance! I am ashamed I did not research this sooner but I knew the earliest I could have taken a bus to the office was March of this past year. So, 2 months later is not so late to discover this. Thanks to others in the office, I learned of a government subsidy for using public transportation as well – you only get bus vouchers and not cash but what a great deal! If I can use the bus even 12 times a month, I get the 25 vouchers to use and the best part is – they are free!

With gas approaching $4.00 a gallon I am surprised more people do not use public transportation. I was the only one who boarded the bus at my neighborhood and for miles and miles, there were only three or four passengers max. I am also surprised that we are not building metros and lightrails more as well. I do understand that people think their time is more important than money but the environment is a concern too. If you are dropping off kids at school or daycare, the bus is not convenient and if you have the walk a few miles or switch buses often, the bus may not be the best deal going but, I found it a relaxing experience. When I first got on, I had plans to play Sudoku, read, listen to music, make a shopping list, and perhaps sleep but I realized it was a little too shaky and stop and go for me to do much. On the way home, it was even worse because the driver kept braking and accelerating and braking. Woh! I did listen to music which helped and enjoyed the scenery around me. I read a few pages in Parents Magazine but had to keep looking up and around. It was not boring per se because people watching was fun but I can see how it can get old.

The bus did take quite a strange route too – it ended up on Kipling in 25 minutes – the same location it takes me 10 minutes to get to. It took 42 minutes EXACT from the time it picked me up to drop me off at the stop near my office. I spent 20 minutes more than I would have driving but I saved about $0.50 in gas this trip. I usually commute 11-13 miles depending on the route I take one-way so this seemed like a good deal at least until we can get through this oil crisis. I have decided to try to take it three times a week and the two times I do drive in a week, I will try to take care of errands and what not on those days or wait til the weekends. Public transportation is not for everyone but it is quite a God send to those who need it and have to use it – it gets you from point A to point B and if you qualify for discounts, it saves a person tons of money as well. As cars whizzed and whirred by us on the bus, I could not help but wonder if a day will come when we will all have to take public transportation or ride more fuel efficient modes of transportation. At $4.00 a gallon, we are not too far away from that possibility.

Flossing Every Day helps keep the tone deaf dentist away

I had a dental appointment today after about 9 months of not seeing them. The last time I saw them was probably August or September of last year. 9 months is too soon to see the dentist in my opinion and 6 months is way too soon! Personally, I think it is a ploy to make money off of people – after all, people pay insurance which in turn gets paid to these blood thirsty dentists.

So, this is how the visit went down. I first met with a very nice person who polished my teeth and flossed them. I thought it was about to end when the hygienist came in. She seemed like a nice lady but not as a thorough as the last guy I had. I actually liked the last hygienist I had. He did less talky and more cleany. So, this one could not stop talking while I had a scraper to my teeth. She was a nice lady but had a lot of questions. Do you have kids? Are you married? Where do you live? Do you work or are you a stay at home mom? Hello! Who watches your kid when you go to work? I was getting a little annoyed because I could not answer except in between my spit being sucked by a tube – you know which one I am talking about. The last lady let me sleep as she polished and flossed…. Why can’t you do the same?

Needless to say, that ended and I thought after the fluoride I was finished. I was not. Then, came the dentist to do his exam. This was the yahoo I heard earlier singing Elton John’s “good bye Norma Jean”. I kid you not. He was your typical arrogant newbie type dentist who kept humming to every tune on the radio. It was even more frustrating than 20-question lady whom I could handle. Bad singing, on the other hand, while my mouth was being poked and prodded, not so much fun. He was singing, “Celebrate, good times… Come on! It’s a celebration.” I was doing anything but celebrating. I was thinking to myself – I’d like to jam the tooth device he is using to hurt me into his celebratory little forehead, which is all I could see anyway amidst his googles and mouth mask. He kept on singing “it’s a celebration…. Celebrate, good times” as he spotted a couple of trouble spots. He spotted two of the same spots the last doc did but as he compared last year’s notes with what he saw he boldly stated, “I do not agree with the other two things they found – just these. Can you take pictures and show her?” Boy, I thought to myself, glad I did not get the dental work they recommended last year done for the low, low price of $2000 because now it is reduced by almost $1400! The girl I saw first who did the polishing in silence took some pictures with a new camera/laptop combo device they had. Then, came the worst part of the whole trip – seeing the receptionist on my way out.

The receptionist, mind you, was the one who chided me when I made my appointment, telling me I needed to come back every 6 months or I’d be put on some list. “Drink the Kool-aid or else.” Yeah, we’ve heard that before. She gave me the proverbial price list, made an appointment for me in NOVEMBER! I kid you not … November- 6 months out. She asked “Will 8am work for you?” I responded, “Yeah, why not? I will probably just call you and reschedule because I do not know what I am doing November 20th much less tomorrow.” And, off I went. So I thought. She stopped me and asked me when I wanted to come in for the dental work that had to be done. I was like, “I will call when I am ready.” She retorted, “Are you sure, if you make the appointment now, you will have it all set.” I quickly replied, “I may not even get it done, but I will call when I am ready.” She gave me a look that could have stopped traffic. All I could think of as I ran – literally, ran out of the dental office, was, “will that singing dentist be working on my filling and crown or can I please schedule when he is out of town?” Seriously… can you imagine 2 hours or more in that uncomfortable chair, mouth propped open, drool spilling from both sides of your numb cheeks, listening to doc singing more bad tunes? I do not think so! I wish I had had this dentist when I was much younger, I might have flossed and brushed better – all to avoid the singing dentist. Til next time folks, Happy Flossing and make sure you brush at least twice a day.

Weaning and Whining

I think it is the end of an era- for me, breastfeeding has abruptly come to a close- and I am sure another chapter in my motherhood will now begin. For the last two weeks, I have been unable to feed my daughter because she has teeth now and is biting down... hard!

Part of me feels a tragic loss at not being able to feed her. The other part feels a sense of freedom and relief because it is now time for her to take only solids and move to Whole milk. It is another phase in growing up but this again raises the issue for me of whether she is growing up too fast - it worries me. I have had the talk with my boss already about going part-time and now I feel I need to have that talk again. She is growing up way too fast! Sloooow down!

Either way, it has been a tremendous experience in motherhood thus far and I hope it continues as the new chapters unfold. I look forward to every moment ... will it stop me from whining? Probably not... she is growing up too fast for me already but I can cherish the days and the hours I have with her I suppose instead of complaining about those.

It's her Party and I'll cry if I want to

We are in the midst (frenzy, rather) of planning our daughter's 1st birthday party. She could care less and would be content if we just popped out new tupperware for the occasion but instead I have decided to have a big soiree- catered food, the big cake, and all. With the birthday 2 weeks away and approximately 32 people (including kids) thus far, I am a little overwhelmed especially when I learned I needed goody bags and games for the kids. Bah Humbug!

This was supposed to be a drink fest for me and my single, childless friends. I had no idea so many kids were showing up - we may have 12!! And only 3 of them are in the vicinity of my daughter's age. So needless to say, this will be interesting. On the other hand, it will be nice to meet the newest addition to one of our friend's home and finally meet a coworkers' husband- I have heard way too much about him and never met him. They are the parents of twin boys though and the twins are quite ... destructive - yikers!

I still have a lot to do - order and confirm all the food, ensure it will be picked up, and order my brother's ice cream- oh yeah, it is his birthday the same day as my daughter's. Needless to say, there will be a lot the day before and the day of the party but I think we picked the right time- 4pm on, allowing everyone flexibility with naps, nighttime routines, and what not. I have a hard time handling one kid, it will be interesting to see what happens to the house after approximately 12 kids run through it. Ah well, it's my, I mean, HER party and I will cry if I want to. :-0

Portland, Oregon

I am writing this from the Portland International Airport as I get ready to head off back home to Denver. I was here for a conference and what a pleasant surprise this city is to me- it is quite a nice city - clean, medium-sized, and in the distant, not only can I see Mount Hood but rolling hills. The rivers are pretty neat - Columbia and Wilametta which dump into the Pacific Ocean. Really kinda neat. At the airport, when you land, you can see the gorgeous scenery and the greenery. As I know from my time in Europe, greenery means one thing: rain! Yes, the climate here is most like Seattle but warmer. Some parts of Portland from the air reminded me of Europe.

While I enjoyed my time in this city and the people here are very friendly, I cannot wait to get home and see my family- it feels like an eternity since I have seen my girl. Happy Trails to all!

'Til allowance do us part?

I heard on the radio this morning as I was coming in to work talk about women and men on allowances from their spouses. I found the topic interesting so I did not change stations. The first guy that was on the air was “Bob” and he was on an allowance from his wife of $50 a week – this included lunch expenses, dinners out, clothes, etc. I was initially appalled as I listened because it sounded like he was on a leash and for a moment, I thought, wow – how emasculating for him, but as the program continued and callers called in, I realized how common this occurrence was for both men and women.

Another caller who called in said his wife puts him on an allowance too. He loved it – no complaints! He is self-employed and his wife works too but she has just traditionally managed their money and expenses so, he is perfectly content with his $50 a week. Then, a woman called in who said she is also on a budget of $100 biweekly. However, unlike the guys who called in, she has to buy formula and diapers with her allowance and by the time she pays for a tank of gas, she only has $15 a week – not enough to even get her nails done. But, wait – her husband will write her a check for a salon trip but he writes it for the exact amount that he thinks the haircut or particular should be. Wow! That was a little disturbing to me and just because she is a stay at home mom does not mean she should be treated so poorly. Then again, she was happy with her situation. When asked how that made her feel – she replied, “great – I think the situation is perfect because if I had more money, I would just spend it.”

In all of these relationships, one person was the spendthrift (the person on the allowance), and the other was the tight wad, wage earner, or just smarter with the family finances. As Bob explained, his business expenses are separate so if he had to take a client out, that came out of his business expenses and his gas (since his business is mobile) came out of his business expenses. The $50 a week was his personal allowance from family expenses. That is not bad actually if you think of it- $50 a week. Like I said, just about every caller was happy with his or her position and receiving fixed money so they did not overspend or overextend their family’s finances. I wondered if my husband and I should employ the same methods. I know if I have fixed money, I would think twice about grabbing that sandwich out but then again, I already do that- I am pretty tight with my money and look for bargains in all I do and think twice before eating out. My husband, on the other hand, I think could stand to be on an allowance but I know he manages his money seemingly well – well, on most days. Sometimes he dips into family finances when his “hobby” money runs out and maybe that is why these people do this – because if you only have $XX, and you run out, you cannot dip into anything else. It is done! I think it is a matter of self control and self discipline really when it comes to overextending your finances. In my life, I have noticed a pattern in those who are always broke, just barely scrape by, or never have money (even for retirement) – they have no control on their spending habits and do not know their limits. Unfortunately, the same principles that apply to their spending sometimes carries over to other aspects of their life such as leave and sick leave balances at work, food at home, etc.

Needless to say, after listening to this morning’s radio show, I am glad that neither of us are on an allowance but if one of us had to be, I think it would work too because we tend to be disciplined with our money and spending.