"Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!" --Ms. Frizzle

"Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!" --Ms. Frizzle

Monday, June 21, 2010

Solstice

The gentle wobble of our planet has tipped the northern hemisphere, for the four billionth time, down into the warm rays of the sun. Today is our longest day; tonight is our shortest night. Together, they make up June 21st: the first day of summer. This day matters. Despite the seemingly interminable nights and cold, dim days of winter we will always be tipped back into the sun. Isn't that what every human triumph is about, really? The power of light over darkness?

The sun will not set tonight until 8:59. Until that time, you can find me outside! I'll be pinching back the basil and reading a book. With no pants on.

Seriously!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Workin' for the man!


There are some days in my job where client after client has crisis after crisis. There are other days where local policies (and policy makers) manage to simultaneously demand completely contradictory courses of action to be completed as of yesterday. There are days with accounting problems, days with landlord problems, days with paperwork glitches and eligibility mazes. And then there are days like today, with all of the above.

Days like today are when I feel like just maybe I'm good at my job.

I started doing this case management thing 18 months ago, and today was the first time I felt certain I didn't need to worry that my clients and my organization might not just have been better served if there was someone with a bit more experience or a bit more confidence sitting in my chair, or in their kitchen for that matter.

And now, because I have no illusions that anyone checks this blog for my thoughts on work life, here's an adorable picture of Geneva!




Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Disconnected Thoughts on a Busy Day

This morning I drove behind a car with a license plate cover that said "Happiness is... calling Bingo!" I can't say that I agree, but I appreciate the enthusiasm.

I think that American English gets singulars and plurals completely confused. For instance, in England you would say "my bank are really lousy at customer service," which makes sense because you would be referring to the customer service skills of a group of people. Here, obviously, we endow entire corporations with the same properties as a single human being, both legally and linguistically. Bah! As if that weren't irritating enough, we get it all ass-backwards when referring to individuals and constantly use "they" when we are, in fact, talking about one person. To be fair to American English we do get the pronunciation of aluminum correct where the British fail horribly.

Do you ever have one of those days where the person you see in the mirror is exactly the person you think you are? Today I looked like myself. It didn't matter that it wasn't my "best." It felt really nice.

Tomorrow is Geneva Lynn's first birthday, and I am absurdly proud of the little person she has become in the last 364 days. I was playing the "one year ago today" game in my head-- those of you who know me will know that I don't reserve this game for special occasions or anniversaries-- and realized that there is a significant blank spot on June 8th. I remember distinctly what I was doing a year ago yesterday: having dinner with the family to celebrate Jordan's graduation from college. I remember what I was doing a year ago tomorrow: converting a fetus into a newborn through the clever use of uterine contractions. I have no idea what I was doing a year ago today. Probably wallowing in self-pity.

This Sunday I got to meet my neighbors' seven-year-old daughter and she is a delight! She is articulate and thoughtful and handles my over-friendliness very well. I think I will see if she wants to bake a cake with Geneva and me tomorrow.

I admit with some embarrassment that I have watched Jon and Kate Plus Eight more than once, and in many ways I honestly do not think all that highly of Jon and Kate Gosselin. It seems that they have made a lot of choices that I would not have made in the same situation. As parents and as a couple (well, ex-couple) they do not appear to be the greatest role models. But I will say this: they are raising sextuplets. Sextuplets. I take care of eight-month-old Lucas for about ten hours each week and I basically do not get anything accomplished during those ten hours. Two babies pretty much maxes me out. Today I took them to Inkling's and Starbucks and it was a Big Deal; the outing literally lasted for hours and had all three of us exhausted by the end. So for all their apparent shortcomings, Jon and Kate have me beat in this regard. They might be mediocre parents, but they are mediocre at an extremely difficult job.

When Geneva was sick last week I was willing to do pretty much anything to help her get to sleep. This included playing human pacifier for an entire hour. When I mentioned this to Avery he said, without a trace of sarcasm in his voice, "oh fun!" That, sir, is a gross misuse of the adjective.

I spent the morning outside in the sunshine, watering the garden and feeding the chickens and playing with the girlie. We wore our nice skirts and sat in the dirt. It was absolute bliss. If I could put that on a license plate cover, I would.