Algae's Musings and Rambles

Couch to 5k: Week 1 Day 1

2008-04-06T21:55:00.002-04:00

Well, Steve and I have been talking about better ways to get in shape. I mentioned the Couch to 5k Running plan and he's all for it.

What was I thinking?

I'm not a runner! I don't like to run. It's painful and my glasses bobble and my breasts bounce. But I agreed to this.

Tonight was our first attempt. I was dying by the end, but I survived. Steve kept track of the time and I just tried to keep up. I think Steve could have jumped into Week 2 without a problem.

We've decided not to take Alex this week. My mom said she'll watch him or take him for a parallel walk while we do our half hour. So, I'm out of excuses and now...it's time to run.

Weight Loss Goals

2007-11-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

We've started a Biggest Loser-style contest here at work. So, far, I've been the winner, having lost 7.5 pounds. My goal is to lose 35 pounds, so let's see if I keep it up.

Busy...

2007-10-27T19:08:00.000-04:00

Just a small update...

Working full time for a small pharmaceutical. I'm the PDMA Support Specialist, which means I monitor field sales reps' for accurate reporting and to make sure they're not breaking the law.

Taking 2 classes towards my Masters Degree in Library and Information Science.

Mother to 2-year-old with far more energy than I could ever have.

Wife to a wonderfully patient man, who has taken over most of the cooking and grocery shopping. He's a Mechanical Engineer that works on accelerator pedals for an automotive supplier.

Yeah, so we're a bit busy.

Latest pictures are here.

Sunday Dinner

2007-05-22T08:46:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: "Sailor Moon" is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and various companies which have paid good money to do so. I do not have any money, thus I do not own "Sailor Moon". I just needed to write this quickly.

Sunday Dinner

by Algae

Chiba Mamoru loved Sunday dinners with the Tsukino family. Tsukino Ikuko would make a veritable feast of home-cooked meals. Some weeks it would be Shabu-shabu and other weeks it would be Chinese Cabbage Rolls or Chicken-and-egg Danburi. When she found out he like swordfish, she made an effort to serve her mother’s Fried Swordfish recipe occasionally. Oh, sure, he wasn’t fond of Kenji’s murderous stares, but after a year or so those diminished and now, four years later, he hardly got glared at at all.

The whole idea of a family dinner was just so alien to Mamoru. The idea of everyone getting together, sharing a meal and savoring it, not rushing through it to be done before the next thing happened – it didn’t make any sense to him, at first. At the orphanage, meals were part of the routine. There was no lingering over a meal. Meals were served cafeteria-style. They sat on the benches and ate quickly, as the kitchen staff wanted to clean up. But, at the Tsukino household, dinners were stretched out over a couple of hours. Just when you thought the meal was done and you couldn’t eat another bite, Ikuko would duck into the kitchen and return with bowls of ice cream for everyone or strawberry daifuku or birthday cake around someone’s birthday. Mamoru was stunned when she had made birthday cake for his birthday the first time. He hadn’t remembered telling her it was in August, but Ikuko had made him a cake on the Sunday before his birthday, just like she did for everyone else.

He didn’t remember exactly how she knew to expect him for dinner every week. One day, he was over and Usako was taking longer to get ready than usual. (It turned out Shingo had taken her hairbrush. Mamoru couldn’t understand why that was such an emergency – Usako must have had 15 hairbrushes – but it delayed her by 15 minutes while she searched and then pummeled her little brother.) He was sitting in the kitchen when Ikuko mentioned that dinner on Sunday was at 2:00, and he would be welcome to come by. On that Sunday, he came, had a completely uncomfortable time, and left with more food than he normally got from the grocery store.

But, he came a couple of weeks later, and it was slightly less uncomfortable.

And a few weeks later, he came to dinner again, and this time Shingo had decided he wasn’t too bad, so he quit giving Mamoru the evil eye and Ikuko had made Teriyaki Chicken, Rice and Gyoza for dinner and Mamoru had gone home with a bag full of leftovers and he realized that Sundays at two o’clock had become a standing appointment in his calendar.

But what he mostly loved were the rounds of “Do you remember” stories the family would share over dessert. Shingo delighted in tormenting his sister, especially when her boyfriend came over. Usako would turn tomato-red and yell Mom in that special way of teenage girls, managing to drag the word in three syllables and reach a pitch so high that small dogs would cringe.

They would share stories and pictures from Usako’s childhood. One good thing about having a photographer for a father was that it meant there lots of great pictures of his Usako as a kid. There was the obligatory baby in a bathtub shots and there were family vacation pictures. There were shots of Usako and Shingo mugging for the camera and there were shots of the family, carefully posed, to send with the family’s Christmas cards. His favorite photo was one of Usako as a toddler, brandishing a spatula, her blanket tied around her like a cape and red polka dotted boxers on her head. Her mother said that was the time Usagi decided she was Princess Fairy Sparkle and she needed a crown.

There were also the stories, the ones you tell to alternately embarrass family members and scare possible new ones away. Like the time when Usako was two years old and spring came to Juuban. Usagi hadn’t known what to do with shorts – she hadn’t worn them in so long, after all – and was uncomfortable with her legs being bare. So in the middle of the grocery store, she pulled her pants down to cover her legs and waddled around the store. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad, but Ikuko’s younger sister had been with them and she had been mortified by the idea that her niece was a stripper.

There were the stories of the family’s vacations to grandma’s house and to Oku-Tadamii ski area and to the hot springs. There were stories of school recitals and visiting carnivals and stories of shopping trips where Ikuko wasn’t sure she’d be bringing both children home with her. Mamoru didn’t have stories to share, but he enjoyed listening to the good-natured bickering and sharing a funny memory and laughing so hard that the story-teller couldn’t continue.

And then, one day when Shingo had turned 16, he brought over a “friend” and Mamoru heard himself saying “Do you remember…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Note: The embarrassing stories from Usagi's childhood may have been from the author's childhood. She may have felt it unfair to plunder her siblings' childhood for posting on the internet.

Or she figured since they've teased her enough about them, why not a few more people?

^_~

2007-03-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

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Quiet returns...

2006-12-04T14:17:00.000-05:00

And now, everyone has gone home.

The house still needs cleaned, but at least we can get started on that.

Christmas To-Do List:

Mail Gift to Angie
Finish Alex's Stocking
Prep Christmas Cards
Mail Christmas Cards
Buy Gifts
Wrap Gifts
Decorate House
Make Plans to see everyone

See? Nothing to it!

LAN Party

2006-12-02T22:24:00.000-05:00

We have 12 guys over, all playing computer games and eating junk food.

Mr. Algae asked for this, and I agreed, but I agreed to Saturday and Sunday...last night, 5 people came over. I'm not sure why they felt it was okay to come over a day early, but Mr. Algae apparently thought it was cool, so, here they were.

So, I got up in the morning (BTW, Plankton slept last night from 7:30 p.m. until 9:00 a.m.! I know!) and realized with far more people than I had planned on and these guys would probably want breakfast. So, I made pancakes.

And then cleaned the kitchen.

And then started the ground beef and fixin's for the Taco Bar they were having for dinner.

And then cleaned the kitchen.

But, my mom came over and we took Plankton to see the Christmas Wonderland and he seemed to enjoy it. He started in the stroller, just sort of looking at stuff, but by the end, he was out of the stoller, running (!) around trying to touch everything. Then, after dinner at Friendly's, we went to Toys 'R' Us, where Alex played with every toy he could get his hands on, but somehow, we left with only a Wiggles DVD.

Anyways, the guys are still here and the kitchen is a mess, but I've now cleaned the kitchen twice. I think it' s Mr. Algae's turn.

Anything Goes

2006-11-11T12:17:00.000-05:00

We went to see Anything Goes last night at the RRCA. It starred our friend and I knew most of the cast. Dad was the producer, Kevin built the sets.

I love Tyson. He's a great guy, will do anything for a friend and is a lot of fun. We've known him for about 8 years now. But, he tends to be bitter and if things aren't how he thinks they should be done, he'll just complain.

So, Anything Goes, being a community theater production, isn't like the last few shoes he'd been in, which were professional. And community theater makes do with who tries out. Tyson was not a big fan of the drama queen attitude some people may have had. I've been hearing about it for a couple of weeks now.

He may have had good reason, though. While he was fantastic, and Moonface, Bonnie, Reno, and Evelyn stole the show, the actress that played Hope was boring and energy-draining. When she came on stage, I waited for her to leave. She was quiet and and just there - she was saying the lines, but had no chemistry with anyone and didn't seem to want to be there. It dampened what would have otherwise been a good show.

But, it was fun to see everyone and to get out without Alex for a few hours.

Band

2006-11-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

Last night at Band was a lot of fun.

We had two high school students that had written a March for Concert Band (I believe as part of their application for Oberlin) and we had the privilege of playing and recording it for them for the entrance. I don't think any of us expected it to be as good as it was. It turned out to be a fun piece, surprisingly difficult-ish and well-balanced. That's more than we can say for more established composers! Our director asked if we could maybe perform it for our February concert. I think the boys were quite surprised and honored by that.

Afterwards, I went out to ice cream with my stand partner. I ended up with Big Boy's Hot Fudge Ice Cream Brownie thing. Yum!

Then I came home to clean floors. Steve and my mom had steam-cleaned the carpets and mopped the floor!

After a crappy day, it was a good night.

Also, we've figured out how to handle sleeping arrangements and we have enough beds, as soon as we get the twin bed from Steve's grandma! Yay!

Bed worries

2006-11-06T11:06:00.000-05:00

My mom and I are splitting hosting duties for Trapps-giving.

I need one more bed.

Where am I going to find a full or queen size bed in less than a week?

Don't get me wrong...

2006-11-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

There's a lot to be thankful in my life. I have a good job, good friends, a great husband, a fantastic little boy and am blessed in many ways that I realize others are not.

But I feel like I'm dancing on a knife point right now.

I'm so tired. All the time. And when I'm having fun, I have one hundred and seven thoughts in my head and they're all swirling so quickly, I can hardly catch one.

I don't like being touched any longer. Steve touches me, even for a massage, and I get prickly. I like to snuggle with Alex, but I get antsy after a few minutes.

I never want to go anywhere. Once I'm there, I'm fine. Getting up and doing the prep to get there is not so good. Or, if I have to clean (which I always have to do), I prefer to just let the mess pile up until Steve gets to it.

Steve seems to be starting stories in the middle of them and then not understanding why I can't follow along.

I'm very frustrated.

Halloween 2006

2006-10-31T23:15:00.000-05:00

Me as a manga character

2006-08-09T10:33:00.000-04:00

Ooh, pretty!

I hate being a grown-up

2006-08-03T15:25:00.000-04:00

Finances are tight while we sort through the waiting for a regular paycheck phase of getting back to work, so Steve suggested I cash in my savings bonds.

It's the sensible thing to do. They've matured, but not the full 30-years. We'd get out of this little bit of debt and be in good shape for the next paycheck.

But...

I don't wanna! The money's supposed to be spent on something "fun", like a vacation or something. Instead, since I'm a grown up now and I like to eat, it's going to bills. Groceries. Gas.

I'm irrationally upset by this.

Steve got a job!

2006-07-21T08:55:00.000-04:00

After 9 months of unemployment, Steve got a job! I cannot begin to describe my relief at this. He had become moody and, not lethargic, but lazy. After this job interview, he suddenly had all sorts of energy and we were able to get a few things finished. (I am irrationally happy that I have hooks in my laundry room.)

This brings up babysitting problems with my current job. My mom will watch Alex on her days off and Nicole said she'll watch him as often as we like, but I don't want to use her more than once or twice a month - she has her own life, after all. Right now, the plan is to basically keep working through the end of the year. That should get us back on track and maybe even a bit ahead.

My hidden talent

2006-06-29T16:04:00.000-04:00

Your Hidden Talent

You are a great communicator. You have a real way with words.
You're never at a loss to explain what you mean or how you feel.
People find it easy to empathize with you, no matter what your situation.
When you're up, you make everyone happy. But when you're down, everyone suffers.

What's" Your Hidden Talent?

2 sick babies...

2006-06-01T08:22:00.000-04:00

So, Steve is sick. It's just a summer cold, but it's hit him hard and nothing seems to be helping. Alex was feeling snuffly yesterday, but doesn't seem to be too bad, but I've got 2 sick boys around the house. Urgh.

Combine that with everything else, like, I'm behind in my class and have a ton to do to catch up, the lawn hasn't been mowed because Steve's sick, we're out of gas for the mower and the mower is hiding behind a bunch of stuff for the basement walls. Steve invited friends over for Sunday, so I need to cook and grocery shop and clean. And that's the heart of this rant.

Steve used to be really good about cleaning. Not so much lately. And he's the one that's home. I come home from work to find that nothing has really been done and he wants to know what's for dinner. Seriously.

Thinking about this, he's lucky he's still alive.

But I can't really complain this week, because he's too sick to do anything! Anytime I ask him to do something, he tries, but it gets to be too much. Yesterday, though, I asked him to keep an eye on Alex long enough for me to empty the silverware from the dishwasher, but he assures me he'll do it. Later on, I try to empty the dishwasher, but no, he says, he'll do it. I woke up this morning and I emptied the dishwasher.

No sleep...

2006-05-17T10:48:00.000-04:00

Last night we were at my parents. Thanks to the storms, I had a pretty bad headache, so around 8:00 p.m., I took Alex into the guestroom and laid him down to nurse and nap.

We were woken up at midnight by Steve to head home. Oops.

Alex, having had a nice, long nap, decided he was ready to play.

At 4:00 a.m., he finally went back to sleep. I got a couple more hours, and then got up at 7:00 to head into work.

I'm dead. I have bags under my eyes and everyone can see that my head is not here today. I'm hardly able to function.

And we have to go to the IL's tonight. I can't nap there.

Any adoption lawyers in Upperstate NY?

2006-04-28T10:07:00.000-04:00

Background: Last summer, Family services in their county contacted my aunt (A) and uncle (J)about possible adopting a five-year-old boy (B). B's birth mother is living, but she doesn't have custody of him and he had been in foster care with one woman (L) for most of his life. A and J had been led to believe that L decided since she was getting older that she didn't want to adopt him. They met him, but when things fell through, they went ahead with plans to move to North Carolina. My uncle's business is still in New York, though, so they kept their house, etc, still.
In November, Family Services called and said that some of the obstacles to adopting him had been cleared; were they still interested? Well, of course they were, but they had already decided to move to NC and if that would be a problem, they didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if that would be a problem. They were assured it wouldn't be.

For the last few months, they've been in NC. B is in school, actually doing well, thriving, and basically becoming a happy little boy.

Now: At the most recent adoption hearing, they found out L has hired an attorney and is suing for custody.

And she'll probably get him.

A & J have contacted a few lawyers and so far, none will take the case. L maybe declared unfit due to some other things they've figured out since B's been living with him, but one lawyer said she had custody of him for longer 12 months, then she has a right(?) to see him.

I don't know. I admit, I don't really know all the details. But it seems amazing that no one they've contacted is willing to fight for this. B is happier. If doesn't stay with my aunt and uncle, he'll probably get thrown back into the foster care system.

This is ridiculous. Really ridiculous. It's just unfair that this happens.

He's crawling

2006-04-23T20:47:00.000-04:00

Alex is crawling.

Just a couple of scooches, but they were definitely crawls and forward progress.

On one hand, I'm thrilled. He's crawling! He's hitting developmental milestones.

On the other, I'm scared to death. We haven't babyproofed anything. There's tons of wires by the desk. He's going to want to get into everything (and he's so curious about everything, he will have to get into it). He's growing up. He won't be my baby boy forever. It's a little scary.

So, to do whatever I do when I get scared. I make lists, plan obsessively, and drive Steve nuts. Let's get started.

Short fuse

2006-04-20T10:52:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, but I have a really short temper lately. Little things are driving me nuts. S being on the computer drives me crazy. (He stayed up past 3 a.m. yesterday - I'm not sure why. Does he think I won't notice he's not in bed with me?) A not eating his cereal makes me feel like a failure.

Last not, while walking with mom, she brought up the idea we may need to move to get S a job. I would prefer not to move, but she's right, in a way. We do need to think about looking outside the area. It scares me. I don't like the idea of moving.

Exhaustion

2006-04-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

So, Steve, did you find this?

Alex actually got to bed pretty early last night, so he woke up relatively early. It's only 10:15 a.m. and I'm already exhausted. Luckily, he seems to be content to play in his playpen by himself for a few minutes...I'll go pick up my brother and then drive Alex around soon, too.

Algae's Musings and Rambles

2006-04-18T12:48:00.000-04:00

I don't really expect anyone to read this. I really just wanted a place to keep track of my thoughts. I also need it for cathartic purposes - sometimes I just need to write my thoughts down. I'm a faster typist than writer, so maybe this will help.

Plus, I think everyone at snopes will get tired of my ARGH! posts soon. I don't post them often, but they do seem to be coming up more and more lately.

I've been married for almost 5 years now to a wonderful guy. I get frustrated a lot lately with him - he's between jobs - and it's not fair to him. I'm a first time mom to Alex. Alex is almost 8 months and a joy and delight. He's so cute and smart. Expect this to be filled with lots of bragging about him. :)

I work in a Research Library on a propietary database, but my department is being transfered to Connecticut, so we're losing our jobs, which makes for a tense situation. I'm a Masters Candidate in Library and Information Science, but I've gotten behind with that, so I'm starting again in May with one class (paid for by a scholarship I won!).

There's not much more. This is mostly for me, so I don't feel much need to post too much.