... from work, that is!
Despite the fact that he started 2 weeks before I did, I seem to have gotten the royal treatment compared to him. Take my first day, for instance:
I arrived at my new cubicle and found not one, but TWO computers: a Windows machine and a Linux machine. Allan has only one. Okay, that was probably justified because my group needs to do development on both machines, so it's a given that everyone has 2 machines. But still, this bit of geekish "competition" was amusing ;-)
Not only that, but on my desk were also some basic office supplies, including more "luxurious" items like a nice leather binder, and gel wristpad for the keyboard and mousepad. Allan just got the basic office supplies. No fancy gel wrist rests. And no leather binder.
(to add insult to injury, I actually had TWO mousepads on my desk. And yes, I decided to be nice (for once!) and gave the extra one to Allan)
We all get magnetic key cards so we can enter the building through the side entrance. Allan's card didn't work until a few days after he started. Mine worked instantly. Well, I didn't get a chance to check until my 2nd day, but it worked when I arrived that morning :-D
Then, today-- the real kicker! We passed by the mailboxes section on the way to the kitchen for a snack, and we inspected it to see if our names had been added yet. Sure enough, there was a slot with my name on it. As you can imagine, there was nothing for Allan.
Well, at least Allan has one thing going in his favor: the printer next to his desk does duplex printing. The one near mine does not. I guess he had to catch a break eventually, eh!
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/353232018)
La Maison des Tortues: One third of the "heckled trio" writes...
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
New Beginnings, cont'd
Is it Friday yet? It sure feels like it. It seems surreal that we haven't even reached the middle of the week. For the first time in my life I've got a taste for what it's like to juggle full-time work (for both of us) with parenthood.
Allan dropped Todd off at his first day of his new preschool/day care yesterday. Though I was confident that the drop-off would pose no problems (since Todd is used to going to school every day, he no longer has separation anxiety over it), I had trepidations about what would go on IN school. Like his slow eating. Or his shyness at asking for help (i.e. going to the bathroom, asking for a drink). Or his tendency to let his eyes and mind wander and not pay attention, esp in new surroundings. I was also concerned about how the kids would occupy their time after school (which only runs till lunchtime).
Sure enough, when I went to pick him up, Todd was playing in a freezing cold room where a harried teacher was busy minding a half dozen other rambunctious (some shrieking and wailing) kids. His jacket was barely staying on, as it wasn't zipped up. His hands were freezing. Worse yet, he was wet, because he had been too timid to get up from his nap cot to ask for a trip to the bathroom. Lord only knows how long he was wet in that cold room. Then I opened his backpack-- except for the empty juice bottle, the food was more or less intact. He'd eaten nothing for lunch. Off we went towards home, where I quickly gave him a hot shower and stuffed him full of good food. All the while, I repeatedly instructed him on what to do the next day, like asking for help zipping up his jacket, and making sure to go to the bathroom, and eating all his lunch!
It must have helped, for today he ate most of his lunch (at the expense of not drinking, though :-P Well, we'll get there). He was dry. And his jacket was zipped up and the playroom wasn't freezing like yesterday. Small steps. Now we just have to figure out how to get him to give us more than an "I don't know" when we ask him what he did at school today :-P
As for me, my first day was about as busy as can be expected, mostly with admin stuff. Then today I "met" with my team lead, who actually lives in Kentucky and works remotely. So, lots of phone calls, and keeping mindful of the 3-hour time difference. Still, it's great that the company values him enough to allow him to move across the country (due to personal reasons) and still work for them. Our project manager is a British expat who commiserated about the recent record-breaking spate of rain we had. After all, he'd left England to get away from precisely this kind of dreary weather! ;-) And of course, because the company is based in Santa Barbara, it recruits heavily from my alma mater, UCSB, and I've already run into a ton of familiar names and faces just roaming the halls. Quite an eclectic mix, all around!
The days so far seem long, but the hours have been very productive, so the time flies by very quickly. Having a commute under 10 minutes is a welcome change from the near-hour commutes I used to make to Amgen. And nothing beats having my very own personal slave-- ahem, I mean, loving source of help, both technical and physical, just downstairs :-)
I'm actually looking forward to another busy day tomorrow. No more meetings to interrupt me, but I've got a nice long laundry list of things to do, endless sources of help when the need arises (and I know it will, a lot) and interesting projects to jump headfirst into. And, with a little luck, Todd will settle down in his new school and actually start paying attention and learning stuff!
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/352963416)
Allan dropped Todd off at his first day of his new preschool/day care yesterday. Though I was confident that the drop-off would pose no problems (since Todd is used to going to school every day, he no longer has separation anxiety over it), I had trepidations about what would go on IN school. Like his slow eating. Or his shyness at asking for help (i.e. going to the bathroom, asking for a drink). Or his tendency to let his eyes and mind wander and not pay attention, esp in new surroundings. I was also concerned about how the kids would occupy their time after school (which only runs till lunchtime).
Sure enough, when I went to pick him up, Todd was playing in a freezing cold room where a harried teacher was busy minding a half dozen other rambunctious (some shrieking and wailing) kids. His jacket was barely staying on, as it wasn't zipped up. His hands were freezing. Worse yet, he was wet, because he had been too timid to get up from his nap cot to ask for a trip to the bathroom. Lord only knows how long he was wet in that cold room. Then I opened his backpack-- except for the empty juice bottle, the food was more or less intact. He'd eaten nothing for lunch. Off we went towards home, where I quickly gave him a hot shower and stuffed him full of good food. All the while, I repeatedly instructed him on what to do the next day, like asking for help zipping up his jacket, and making sure to go to the bathroom, and eating all his lunch!
It must have helped, for today he ate most of his lunch (at the expense of not drinking, though :-P Well, we'll get there). He was dry. And his jacket was zipped up and the playroom wasn't freezing like yesterday. Small steps. Now we just have to figure out how to get him to give us more than an "I don't know" when we ask him what he did at school today :-P
As for me, my first day was about as busy as can be expected, mostly with admin stuff. Then today I "met" with my team lead, who actually lives in Kentucky and works remotely. So, lots of phone calls, and keeping mindful of the 3-hour time difference. Still, it's great that the company values him enough to allow him to move across the country (due to personal reasons) and still work for them. Our project manager is a British expat who commiserated about the recent record-breaking spate of rain we had. After all, he'd left England to get away from precisely this kind of dreary weather! ;-) And of course, because the company is based in Santa Barbara, it recruits heavily from my alma mater, UCSB, and I've already run into a ton of familiar names and faces just roaming the halls. Quite an eclectic mix, all around!
The days so far seem long, but the hours have been very productive, so the time flies by very quickly. Having a commute under 10 minutes is a welcome change from the near-hour commutes I used to make to Amgen. And nothing beats having my very own personal slave-- ahem, I mean, loving source of help, both technical and physical, just downstairs :-)
I'm actually looking forward to another busy day tomorrow. No more meetings to interrupt me, but I've got a nice long laundry list of things to do, endless sources of help when the need arises (and I know it will, a lot) and interesting projects to jump headfirst into. And, with a little luck, Todd will settle down in his new school and actually start paying attention and learning stuff!
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/352963416)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
New Beginnings All Around
It's been raining so much this past couple weeks that the ants have sought refuge indoors. Fortunately I only saw about a half dozen in the bathtub, let's hope that's all there is, and not just the advanced party conducting a recon mission. Kinda ironic, isn't it? Wasn't that long ago that I was complaining about the warm, windy, skin-parchingly dry weather, longing for rain instead, and wham! I sure got my wish, didn't I? And I didn't even have to move up north for it!
I let myself get a haircut before the weekend. Turned out a wee bit shorter than I anticipated, but it's been really nice not having all that unruly hair to mess with in the morning, and the nights I wash my hair are definitely more pleasant. I use up far less shampoo, there's less hair clogging the drain (don't worry, I do use a hair-catching net) and my hair dries a lot faster! Allan, whose job it is to clean the floors, likes that there aren't as many notorious "Helly hairs" to clean up anymore-- I typically shed worse than a dog or cat.
Tomorrow both Todd and I begin something new. I start at my new job and Todd starts at his new preschool. I was a bit sad to take him out of his old one in LA, as he'd made friends and was learning some really good stuff. Now, the stuff they covered there was already pretty advanced, but as it turns out, his new school in SB is even more advanced, covering things normally taught in kindergarten, even first grade! After taking the tour on Friday and hearing about where the pre-K kids were in the curriculum, I realized Todd was actually a bit behind. So, I don't have to worry that he'll be understimulated in the class, at least!
Time to get ready to head out and meet some old school friends for brunch. Many have graduated and scattered to the four corners of the earth, and a lot of them are in town for the film festival this weekend, so it will be a great opportunity to catch up with folks I haven't seen in months, even years! Let's hope we don't drown on the way from the apartment to the car! ;-P
I let myself get a haircut before the weekend. Turned out a wee bit shorter than I anticipated, but it's been really nice not having all that unruly hair to mess with in the morning, and the nights I wash my hair are definitely more pleasant. I use up far less shampoo, there's less hair clogging the drain (don't worry, I do use a hair-catching net) and my hair dries a lot faster! Allan, whose job it is to clean the floors, likes that there aren't as many notorious "Helly hairs" to clean up anymore-- I typically shed worse than a dog or cat.
Tomorrow both Todd and I begin something new. I start at my new job and Todd starts at his new preschool. I was a bit sad to take him out of his old one in LA, as he'd made friends and was learning some really good stuff. Now, the stuff they covered there was already pretty advanced, but as it turns out, his new school in SB is even more advanced, covering things normally taught in kindergarten, even first grade! After taking the tour on Friday and hearing about where the pre-K kids were in the curriculum, I realized Todd was actually a bit behind. So, I don't have to worry that he'll be understimulated in the class, at least!
Time to get ready to head out and meet some old school friends for brunch. Many have graduated and scattered to the four corners of the earth, and a lot of them are in town for the film festival this weekend, so it will be a great opportunity to catch up with folks I haven't seen in months, even years! Let's hope we don't drown on the way from the apartment to the car! ;-P
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Good News
I got a call from the recruiter at Citrix yesterday, giving me the official job offer. Now I just have to wait on the paperwork and stuff. But I should be starting a new job in a little over a week! Allan's already there-- he started Monday. Should be fun to have lunches together :-)
More randomosity:
Mom's started chemotherapy this week, too. It's really taking its toll. Not too badly, but not that great, either. She can get by on her own but doesn't have enough strength or energy to look after a rambunctious and difficult Toddler. Which means that next week will be Todd's last week of preschool. Such a shame-- I really liked his school, they teach all kinds of good stuff there! They've already started learning basic addition and how to tell time, and most of the kids are only 3-4 years old! But since my mom won't be able to care for him during the day, and since I'll be starting to work again, I have to take him to a preschool/day care in Santa Barbara. I've found one that's reasonably close by, and they seem to have a good program, so fingers crossed that things work out with getting Todd placed there.
Our brief respite of warm weather is over. It's been replaced by cold Santa Anas again, which really sucks. There is nothing I hate worse than cold, dry winds. I'll take constant rain over skin-parching 50mph winds anyday!
Jenna's citrus peel soap gift has really turned me on to aromatherapy. I really needed some yesterday, but I'm down to a tiny sliver. So I'll have to be on the lookout for more next time I'm near one of the Lush stores in LA. In the meantime, I treated myself to a fruity-smelling bath gel from the "bath and body" section of Target :-9
I'm addicted to El Pollo Loco's $1 Loco Nachos. The cheese sauce is incredibly delicious. I blame my husband for this new unhealthful addiction :-P Fortunately, their $1 salads are sinfully tasty as well, and provide a nice, healthy balance ;-)
The little man and I had fun making silly-looking headwear out of towels yesterday. I decided to take some snapshots for posterity, what a giggle!
http://toddsdiary.blogspot.com/2008/01/towel-hat-silliness.html
Time to go brave the winds and do a bit of last-minute shopping before I pick up Todd!
More randomosity:
Mom's started chemotherapy this week, too. It's really taking its toll. Not too badly, but not that great, either. She can get by on her own but doesn't have enough strength or energy to look after a rambunctious and difficult Toddler. Which means that next week will be Todd's last week of preschool. Such a shame-- I really liked his school, they teach all kinds of good stuff there! They've already started learning basic addition and how to tell time, and most of the kids are only 3-4 years old! But since my mom won't be able to care for him during the day, and since I'll be starting to work again, I have to take him to a preschool/day care in Santa Barbara. I've found one that's reasonably close by, and they seem to have a good program, so fingers crossed that things work out with getting Todd placed there.
Our brief respite of warm weather is over. It's been replaced by cold Santa Anas again, which really sucks. There is nothing I hate worse than cold, dry winds. I'll take constant rain over skin-parching 50mph winds anyday!
Jenna's citrus peel soap gift has really turned me on to aromatherapy. I really needed some yesterday, but I'm down to a tiny sliver. So I'll have to be on the lookout for more next time I'm near one of the Lush stores in LA. In the meantime, I treated myself to a fruity-smelling bath gel from the "bath and body" section of Target :-9
I'm addicted to El Pollo Loco's $1 Loco Nachos. The cheese sauce is incredibly delicious. I blame my husband for this new unhealthful addiction :-P Fortunately, their $1 salads are sinfully tasty as well, and provide a nice, healthy balance ;-)
The little man and I had fun making silly-looking headwear out of towels yesterday. I decided to take some snapshots for posterity, what a giggle!
http://toddsdiary.blogspot.com/2008/01/towel-hat-silliness.html
Time to go brave the winds and do a bit of last-minute shopping before I pick up Todd!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Back With My Phone
As you probably gathered from my status, I'm back in LA for the next week and a half. And as some of you know, it means I've been reunited with my cell phone, which I left at my parents' house when we returned to SB after Christmas.
So I wanna know which one of my wiseacre friends left me a text message to say "your phone misses you!" ;-P
It gave me a good laugh when I got home on Tuesday and read it.
I played endless phone tag with the recruiter this week, and it didn't help matters that I had to use Allan's phone for part of it and she had my cell phone number on file, etc... so it's safe to say that *I* missed my phone this past couple weeks, too!
:-D
So I wanna know which one of my wiseacre friends left me a text message to say "your phone misses you!" ;-P
It gave me a good laugh when I got home on Tuesday and read it.
I played endless phone tag with the recruiter this week, and it didn't help matters that I had to use Allan's phone for part of it and she had my cell phone number on file, etc... so it's safe to say that *I* missed my phone this past couple weeks, too!
:-D
Monday, January 7, 2008
Jingle Bells with a Bonus
In April of last year I found a website that features online karaoke, and went crazy making my own recordings:
http://www.singshot.com/user.html?userId=9CszAnQKOps%3D
You can even tell at what point I stopped using my laptop's built-in mic and plugged in an external one (the sound of my computer's fan disappears). After blogging one of my songs on Grab, I promptly forgot all about the website.
Then, when Allan got his new laptop this past weekend, I rediscovered the karaoke sites, including one that lets you film yourself with your webcam as you sing. Since Allan's new computer comes with a built-in webcam, I waited until he put his new toy down before seizing it and exploring those features.
Here's a little sampling, a duet performed by Todd and me: "Jingle Bells". It's pretty ordinary and nothing to clamor about, but the entertaining part comes at the end of the song. I had forgotten to hit the "Stop" button when we finished singing, and though the mic shut off, the webcam continued to record. What follows is several (silent) minutes of Todd and me playing with SingSnap's various video settings and having fun observing our recorded selves onscreen. My new turtle, Pistachio, features prominently in this (don't laugh. Okay, laugh-- but not too hard :-P)
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/345402522)
http://www.singshot.com/user.html?userId=9CszAnQKOps%3D
You can even tell at what point I stopped using my laptop's built-in mic and plugged in an external one (the sound of my computer's fan disappears). After blogging one of my songs on Grab, I promptly forgot all about the website.
Then, when Allan got his new laptop this past weekend, I rediscovered the karaoke sites, including one that lets you film yourself with your webcam as you sing. Since Allan's new computer comes with a built-in webcam, I waited until he put his new toy down before seizing it and exploring those features.
Here's a little sampling, a duet performed by Todd and me: "Jingle Bells". It's pretty ordinary and nothing to clamor about, but the entertaining part comes at the end of the song. I had forgotten to hit the "Stop" button when we finished singing, and though the mic shut off, the webcam continued to record. What follows is several (silent) minutes of Todd and me playing with SingSnap's various video settings and having fun observing our recorded selves onscreen. My new turtle, Pistachio, features prominently in this (don't laugh. Okay, laugh-- but not too hard :-P)
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/345402522)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
New Computer
I am typing this from Allan's new laptop, which arrived safe and sound last night, poor UPS man looking like a drowned rat. It's a pretty nice laptop, even if it IS a Mac ;-P The keyboard is a bit funky-- the keys are spaced out a bit more than they usually are, but I like it! It also comes built in with a webcam, here's a sample photo taken just minutes earlier:
I'm still miffed that there is only one mouse button. I don't think I'll ever take Macs that seriously until they start making laptops with TWO buttons. And yes, I know I can emulated right-clicks and middle-clicks but I prefer the convenience of actual, physical buttons :-P I also use the PgUp, PgDn, Home and End keys with more frequency than I realized, and the lack of such keys on a Mac laptop keyboard make it that much less user-friendly for me.
I enjoyed a nice, quiet day today, sans boys. Allan took Todd on an extended shopping trip south of town and I got to enjoy a nice, peaceful apartment in which to do whatever I pleased. So, I got a chance to catch up on lots of reading, yay! As much as I love my boys and love hanging out with them, it's always nice to have a "just me" day once in a while. Back to the grind now... starting with dinner! :-9
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/344737135)
I'm still miffed that there is only one mouse button. I don't think I'll ever take Macs that seriously until they start making laptops with TWO buttons. And yes, I know I can emulated right-clicks and middle-clicks but I prefer the convenience of actual, physical buttons :-P I also use the PgUp, PgDn, Home and End keys with more frequency than I realized, and the lack of such keys on a Mac laptop keyboard make it that much less user-friendly for me.
I enjoyed a nice, quiet day today, sans boys. Allan took Todd on an extended shopping trip south of town and I got to enjoy a nice, peaceful apartment in which to do whatever I pleased. So, I got a chance to catch up on lots of reading, yay! As much as I love my boys and love hanging out with them, it's always nice to have a "just me" day once in a while. Back to the grind now... starting with dinner! :-9
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/344737135)
Friday, January 4, 2008
It's Raining, It's Pouring
... the old man is snoring!
Feels like the storm of the century has hit. Gusty winds AND cold, pelting rain all day today. When I came back to the apartment this afternoon, I had to haul my umbrella and wet shoes INSIDE because even the covered parts of our front porch and back patio were getting soaked from rain blowing every which way. My pants were instantly tossed in the hamper due to all the dirt I splattered on it, just walking. We're supposed to get record amounts of rain this next couple days. I suppose, as dry as So Cal normally is, we do need it. Plus it makes for coziness indoors-- warm and listening to the pitter patter outside.
I stopped by the store today and grabbed some excellent after-Christmas deals, 75% off everything holiday-related. But my biggest amusement came in the form of a "sale" item-- sweaters originally marked at $25 apiece and that I saw priced at $10 last week. Today they were marked "Clearance!!"... and priced at $12. Yeah-- more like a clearance of shoppers' wallets :-P
My New Year's Eve was relatively uneventful. I had put Todd down for a long nap earlier that afternoon, figuring it would cause him to stay up till midnight and catch some fireworks on TV with us. At 11:30, however, he was yawning and actually saying "yes" to the notion of going to bed (something he rarely does), so I tucked him into bed and headed for the living room. We watched the ball drop on Times Square, toasted each other with sparkling blueberry juice, and then watched a bit of regular TV. At 12:30 I went to check in on Todd, who was still awake!! Ah well, 4th of July shall provide an opportunity for even more fireworks, AND a warmer environment in which to watch them.
Yesterday Todd surprised me by choosing the library over shopping (where he knew there was an ample selection of toys to browse). I told him I wanted to go shopping, but he chimed in with "I want to go to the library". So, off we went to the library instead, coming home with an armful of books-- a couple for me, and a dozen for Todd :-)
Then today I read him some of his books aloud, and I just wanna know-- why is it so tiring to read books out loud? I was absolutely bushed by the time I'd finished a round of stories. I mean, it's not like it's very physically taxing-- sitting comfortably on our futon, maybe a bit of strain on my vocal cords, but other than that... so why was I tired and sleepy at the end of it?
Time for dinner... Allan has been waiting home all day today for his new computer to arrive. I guess UPS is waiting till the absolute last minute to deliver it to our doorstep. In any case, it's made for some fun ribbing at Allan's expense, getting his dander up over the slight possibility that he might have to wait yet another day for his much-anticipated new toy ;-) Aren't women evil? ;-D
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/344422846)
Feels like the storm of the century has hit. Gusty winds AND cold, pelting rain all day today. When I came back to the apartment this afternoon, I had to haul my umbrella and wet shoes INSIDE because even the covered parts of our front porch and back patio were getting soaked from rain blowing every which way. My pants were instantly tossed in the hamper due to all the dirt I splattered on it, just walking. We're supposed to get record amounts of rain this next couple days. I suppose, as dry as So Cal normally is, we do need it. Plus it makes for coziness indoors-- warm and listening to the pitter patter outside.
I stopped by the store today and grabbed some excellent after-Christmas deals, 75% off everything holiday-related. But my biggest amusement came in the form of a "sale" item-- sweaters originally marked at $25 apiece and that I saw priced at $10 last week. Today they were marked "Clearance!!"... and priced at $12. Yeah-- more like a clearance of shoppers' wallets :-P
My New Year's Eve was relatively uneventful. I had put Todd down for a long nap earlier that afternoon, figuring it would cause him to stay up till midnight and catch some fireworks on TV with us. At 11:30, however, he was yawning and actually saying "yes" to the notion of going to bed (something he rarely does), so I tucked him into bed and headed for the living room. We watched the ball drop on Times Square, toasted each other with sparkling blueberry juice, and then watched a bit of regular TV. At 12:30 I went to check in on Todd, who was still awake!! Ah well, 4th of July shall provide an opportunity for even more fireworks, AND a warmer environment in which to watch them.
Yesterday Todd surprised me by choosing the library over shopping (where he knew there was an ample selection of toys to browse). I told him I wanted to go shopping, but he chimed in with "I want to go to the library". So, off we went to the library instead, coming home with an armful of books-- a couple for me, and a dozen for Todd :-)
Then today I read him some of his books aloud, and I just wanna know-- why is it so tiring to read books out loud? I was absolutely bushed by the time I'd finished a round of stories. I mean, it's not like it's very physically taxing-- sitting comfortably on our futon, maybe a bit of strain on my vocal cords, but other than that... so why was I tired and sleepy at the end of it?
Time for dinner... Allan has been waiting home all day today for his new computer to arrive. I guess UPS is waiting till the absolute last minute to deliver it to our doorstep. In any case, it's made for some fun ribbing at Allan's expense, getting his dander up over the slight possibility that he might have to wait yet another day for his much-anticipated new toy ;-) Aren't women evil? ;-D
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/344422846)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Last Day of 2007
Wow, how this year has flown. It seems like we always say that every December 31st, but this time it has truly been an activity-packed year.
Lisa came over for her first long-haul trip and amazed Todd with her smoky "O" rings ;-) Isn't this also when you were introduced to pear cider?
Allan and Todd and I took our first ever long-distance trip as a family. Todd enjoyed his first plane ride, and not only did we get to see a host of different cities, but we also got to meet more Net friends offline. Thanks again, Carl and Catch, for throwing the barbecue!
My grandmother passed away unexpectedly yet peacefully, and though we regret that Todd won't get to have her around more, we're glad he DID get to enjoy a few years with her.
I am still in between jobs, but the delay has actually turned out to be a blessing: not only am I able to help out while Mom recovers, but it's provided some great mother-son bonding time, something I haven't really been able to have since Todd was born!
All in all, a pretty good year with more than its share of ups and downs. I am looking forward to 2008 and the things it will bring :-) Meanwhile, this is what we have to ring in the New Year:
That "Ace" brand was the only one I could find, it was at Trader Joe's. All the other big-chain grocery stores had only apple cider. I tried a bit last night, and blergh... it tastes like beer. I had expected it to taste more like pears but it had very little such flavor. Ah well, there's sparkling blueberry juice and Moscato wine for the festivities.
Happy New Year, everyone! See y'all next year! :-D
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/343019651)
Lisa came over for her first long-haul trip and amazed Todd with her smoky "O" rings ;-) Isn't this also when you were introduced to pear cider?
Allan and Todd and I took our first ever long-distance trip as a family. Todd enjoyed his first plane ride, and not only did we get to see a host of different cities, but we also got to meet more Net friends offline. Thanks again, Carl and Catch, for throwing the barbecue!
My grandmother passed away unexpectedly yet peacefully, and though we regret that Todd won't get to have her around more, we're glad he DID get to enjoy a few years with her.
I am still in between jobs, but the delay has actually turned out to be a blessing: not only am I able to help out while Mom recovers, but it's provided some great mother-son bonding time, something I haven't really been able to have since Todd was born!
All in all, a pretty good year with more than its share of ups and downs. I am looking forward to 2008 and the things it will bring :-) Meanwhile, this is what we have to ring in the New Year:
That "Ace" brand was the only one I could find, it was at Trader Joe's. All the other big-chain grocery stores had only apple cider. I tried a bit last night, and blergh... it tastes like beer. I had expected it to taste more like pears but it had very little such flavor. Ah well, there's sparkling blueberry juice and Moscato wine for the festivities.
Happy New Year, everyone! See y'all next year! :-D
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/343019651)
Friday, December 28, 2007
Holiday Ruminations
Christmas has come and gone. We've got a green Eddie Bauer shopping bag sitting on the floor, chock-full of candy and chocolate from the various stocking stuffers. Todd likes raiding it, giving me an angelic look and hinting "There's something in the green bag!" We seriously need to hide it-- out of sight, out of mind!
Speaking of coveting things, Allan and I have proven that we truly are bigger kids than our own toddler son. First there was his stuffed turtle-- it was so cute and cuddly that I wanted one of my own. Before I got it for Christmas, Todd had picked up on how much I liked his turtle, and started sharing it with me. But I'm not the only culprit. Allan grew up playing with Tonka toys, not the cheap plastic kind, but the sturdy metal ones that last lifetimes. So when Todd got a Tonka dump truck from his aunt, you can imagine who else wanted one (I have the video evidence of Allan's out-loud wish, too!) and who wound up on the living room floor playing with glee... long past the little man's bedtime :-P
Boxing Day. Canadians, Brits and Australians celebrate it. I guess that makes us the only English-speaking industrialized nation *not* to celebrate it. And that means I have no idea what it's supposed to entail. So what ARE you supposed to do on Boxing Day? And what did you guys do?
2007 is nearly over. What a year it's been! I remember ringing in 2006 with a bunch of Net friends all over the world-- what a riot! Allan didn't know most of them, but I remember connecting my laptop to the projector so the screen was displayed on our living room wall, and he could read along on the IM window (as well as hear the mic users through my turned-up speakers). This year will probably be more low-key, probably Times Square on TV. Todd loves fireworks, too bad midnight is far too late for him to stay up to see some. And maybe I'll find some pear cider and give it a try for once! Any brand suggestions?
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/342236450)
Speaking of coveting things, Allan and I have proven that we truly are bigger kids than our own toddler son. First there was his stuffed turtle-- it was so cute and cuddly that I wanted one of my own. Before I got it for Christmas, Todd had picked up on how much I liked his turtle, and started sharing it with me. But I'm not the only culprit. Allan grew up playing with Tonka toys, not the cheap plastic kind, but the sturdy metal ones that last lifetimes. So when Todd got a Tonka dump truck from his aunt, you can imagine who else wanted one (I have the video evidence of Allan's out-loud wish, too!) and who wound up on the living room floor playing with glee... long past the little man's bedtime :-P
Boxing Day. Canadians, Brits and Australians celebrate it. I guess that makes us the only English-speaking industrialized nation *not* to celebrate it. And that means I have no idea what it's supposed to entail. So what ARE you supposed to do on Boxing Day? And what did you guys do?
2007 is nearly over. What a year it's been! I remember ringing in 2006 with a bunch of Net friends all over the world-- what a riot! Allan didn't know most of them, but I remember connecting my laptop to the projector so the screen was displayed on our living room wall, and he could read along on the IM window (as well as hear the mic users through my turned-up speakers). This year will probably be more low-key, probably Times Square on TV. Todd loves fireworks, too bad midnight is far too late for him to stay up to see some. And maybe I'll find some pear cider and give it a try for once! Any brand suggestions?
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/342236450)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Relaxing and Fun Christmas
Monday and Tuesday shaped up to be one of the best little Christmases I'd ever celebrated! Now that little man is old enough to be excited about opening presents and decorating a tree, I had loads of fun shopping for little things for him to wrap and stuff the stocking with, as well as finding a little tree to decorate.
While in LA, my mom and I found an adorable little 3-foot tree in the nursery near our house, which was chock full of all kinds of gorgeous trees, both Douglas and Noble. We put it on the end table in the house, but when we opened up the box of lights and decorations, we discovered that the ornaments and lights were too big, as all our previous trees had been at least 6 feet tall. Still, we decked the tree out anyway and it didn't look too bad!
I got a fake 3-foot tree for our apartment in SB, and we had to forego the use of lights because the string of bulbs I bought was too short, and I had little desire to pay outrageous sums of money to get a new light strand from K-Mart down the street. So, we made do with little ornaments and some garland. Todd had fun helping, though by the time we took this picture, the lopsidedness (as you can imagine, most of the balls and candy canes wound up at the bottom of the tree) had been fixed:
Anyway, Christmas Eve was spent unwrapping presents, and basking in the joy of watching Todd rip open giftwrap with glee. Me, I got a 17-inch stuffed turtle that is identical to Todd's… only bigger, of course :-D
Christmas morning, Todd discovered a plush Blue from Blue's Clues in his stocking—left by Santa, of course. Then we headed to LA to celebrate with Allan's family. Along the way, traffic was blissfully nonexistent—highly unusual for downtown LA!
Todd had a great time playing with Allan's family, really coming out of his shell and actively engaging in conversation and giggles with everyone. He also loved playing with Sammy, Uncle Ron and Aunt Debbie's Lhasa Apso. This was a total first—up till now, Allan's family rarely had the opportunity to glimpse Todd as he really is at home—a big ball of boundless energy, talking a mile a minute and laughing like crazy.
One of my favorite Todd moments while opening presents was when he opened my parents' gift to him—a check. As it fluttered out of the box, he exclaimed: "Oh! I got paper!" But when he opened up Grandpa's gift of cash, he instantly recognized it as money and proclaimed: "I can pay!" And not just for toys and junk, for when asked what he'd pay for, he answered: "Food! For Mommy and Daddy!" :-D
Here's little man on the lawn of Ron and Debbie's house:
The evening ended a bit later than expected, when Allan locked the car keys in the trunk and we had to wait for AAA to show up and "break in" to the car. Very apt, then, that we made immediate use of the Christmas present that Ron and Debbie traditionally give us every year—a AAA membership.
All in all, this turned out to be one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Nothing exciting—just small, quiet family celebrations. Christmas Eve in our apartment in SB, and Christmas Day with Allan's family. But it was loads of fun because of Todd. Things I normally loathe, like shopping for gifts, decorating the tree, and wrapping presents, were made enjoyable because I liked the thought of Todd opening the presents or hanging ornaments on the tree, with the kind of childlike wonder and glee that only, well, children possess :-)
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/341568672)
While in LA, my mom and I found an adorable little 3-foot tree in the nursery near our house, which was chock full of all kinds of gorgeous trees, both Douglas and Noble. We put it on the end table in the house, but when we opened up the box of lights and decorations, we discovered that the ornaments and lights were too big, as all our previous trees had been at least 6 feet tall. Still, we decked the tree out anyway and it didn't look too bad!
I got a fake 3-foot tree for our apartment in SB, and we had to forego the use of lights because the string of bulbs I bought was too short, and I had little desire to pay outrageous sums of money to get a new light strand from K-Mart down the street. So, we made do with little ornaments and some garland. Todd had fun helping, though by the time we took this picture, the lopsidedness (as you can imagine, most of the balls and candy canes wound up at the bottom of the tree) had been fixed:
Anyway, Christmas Eve was spent unwrapping presents, and basking in the joy of watching Todd rip open giftwrap with glee. Me, I got a 17-inch stuffed turtle that is identical to Todd's… only bigger, of course :-D
Christmas morning, Todd discovered a plush Blue from Blue's Clues in his stocking—left by Santa, of course. Then we headed to LA to celebrate with Allan's family. Along the way, traffic was blissfully nonexistent—highly unusual for downtown LA!
Todd had a great time playing with Allan's family, really coming out of his shell and actively engaging in conversation and giggles with everyone. He also loved playing with Sammy, Uncle Ron and Aunt Debbie's Lhasa Apso. This was a total first—up till now, Allan's family rarely had the opportunity to glimpse Todd as he really is at home—a big ball of boundless energy, talking a mile a minute and laughing like crazy.
One of my favorite Todd moments while opening presents was when he opened my parents' gift to him—a check. As it fluttered out of the box, he exclaimed: "Oh! I got paper!" But when he opened up Grandpa's gift of cash, he instantly recognized it as money and proclaimed: "I can pay!" And not just for toys and junk, for when asked what he'd pay for, he answered: "Food! For Mommy and Daddy!" :-D
Here's little man on the lawn of Ron and Debbie's house:
The evening ended a bit later than expected, when Allan locked the car keys in the trunk and we had to wait for AAA to show up and "break in" to the car. Very apt, then, that we made immediate use of the Christmas present that Ron and Debbie traditionally give us every year—a AAA membership.
All in all, this turned out to be one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Nothing exciting—just small, quiet family celebrations. Christmas Eve in our apartment in SB, and Christmas Day with Allan's family. But it was loads of fun because of Todd. Things I normally loathe, like shopping for gifts, decorating the tree, and wrapping presents, were made enjoyable because I liked the thought of Todd opening the presents or hanging ornaments on the tree, with the kind of childlike wonder and glee that only, well, children possess :-)
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/341568672)
Monday, December 17, 2007
Home! (or not) (ok, home it is)
Mom's home-- yay! The surgeon saw her this morning and shared the amazing tale of how her surgery ALMOST turned into the major-invasive-slice-you-open-big-time one, but at the last moment, he got a clear picture through the cameras and could proceed laparoscopically, after all. Isn't that awesome?
Spent all morning cleaning the house, which paid off when my cousin and her parents arrived for a visit right after I got mom home. Probably anticipating more visitors tomorrow, so I'm glad the house is still in tip-top shape-- Todd hasn't destroyed it too much yet ;-)
Mom's appetite is flourishing, voice is back to normal, and I'm sure it won't be long till the incision wounds heal and her lungs are operating at maximum capacity again.
Here's to a Merry-- and healthy! Christmas!
EDIT [Wed, 19 Dec]:
1. pathology results are back-- they say it IS the same cancer as from her colon, so now she has a referral for a chemotherapy doc. just waiting on an appointment for it now.
2. I just got home from dropping her off at the ER. shortness of breath increased today, which is a bit worrisome, so she's there tonight just in case, and hopefully they'll be able to sort her out tonight or tomorrow.
and now i'm gonna finish my tea and collapse into bed, knowing that the construction workers outside my window will have me up in about 6 hours... and even if they don't, toddy will be up within 7 hrs.
EDIT 2, Thursday, 20 Dec:
So, about 3 hours after I dropped my mom off at the ER, she was ready to go home. Of course, as it was 3am, she was loathe to call anyone at home and wake us up, and so waited till 5am, the time my dad is usually up, before she called and asked him to pick her up.
So, little did I know that when I got up at 9am this morning, mom was actually sleeping in her bedroom. I went about my usual morning routine, and then settled down by the phone at 10am to call the hospital to find out where she was and how she was doing. Imagine my surprise when they told me she'd been discharged at 5am. As soon as I heard that, it dawned on me that dad had picked her up.
When I got up from the phone, that's when I finally noticed little things... like her jacket draped over a kitchen chair. And a hospital bag on the floor with her purse inside. I peeked inside her room-- there she was. Can you say: DUH!!
I'm still chuckling at my moment of ditziness this morning!
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/339111611)
Spent all morning cleaning the house, which paid off when my cousin and her parents arrived for a visit right after I got mom home. Probably anticipating more visitors tomorrow, so I'm glad the house is still in tip-top shape-- Todd hasn't destroyed it too much yet ;-)
Mom's appetite is flourishing, voice is back to normal, and I'm sure it won't be long till the incision wounds heal and her lungs are operating at maximum capacity again.
Here's to a Merry-- and healthy! Christmas!
EDIT [Wed, 19 Dec]:
1. pathology results are back-- they say it IS the same cancer as from her colon, so now she has a referral for a chemotherapy doc. just waiting on an appointment for it now.
2. I just got home from dropping her off at the ER. shortness of breath increased today, which is a bit worrisome, so she's there tonight just in case, and hopefully they'll be able to sort her out tonight or tomorrow.
and now i'm gonna finish my tea and collapse into bed, knowing that the construction workers outside my window will have me up in about 6 hours... and even if they don't, toddy will be up within 7 hrs.
EDIT 2, Thursday, 20 Dec:
So, about 3 hours after I dropped my mom off at the ER, she was ready to go home. Of course, as it was 3am, she was loathe to call anyone at home and wake us up, and so waited till 5am, the time my dad is usually up, before she called and asked him to pick her up.
So, little did I know that when I got up at 9am this morning, mom was actually sleeping in her bedroom. I went about my usual morning routine, and then settled down by the phone at 10am to call the hospital to find out where she was and how she was doing. Imagine my surprise when they told me she'd been discharged at 5am. As soon as I heard that, it dawned on me that dad had picked her up.
When I got up from the phone, that's when I finally noticed little things... like her jacket draped over a kitchen chair. And a hospital bag on the floor with her purse inside. I peeked inside her room-- there she was. Can you say: DUH!!
I'm still chuckling at my moment of ditziness this morning!
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/339111611)
Hospitals
Hospitals. They seem hit-or-miss most days. I have only ever been hospitalized once in my life, and that was when Todd was born. Since both the pregnancy and delivery were very uneventful and normal, I wasn't a patient with very many needs. Heck, my appetite never even floundered-- Todd was born at lunchtime, and I ate my cold meal ravenously right after he came out-- while still in the delivery room!
I wish I could say the same for my mother. Now, don't get me wrong-- she's been in contact with some excellent, caring, responsible doctors. Just look at the timeline: my dad's company switched to a new insurance provider effective 1 Dec. My mom was able to secure a flurry of immediate appointments and referrals with all the right kinds of doctors-- to the point that surgery itself was scheduled for 13 Dec, a mere 12 days later. That cannot be called anything but a miracle, and for that we're very thankful.
However, now she's on to the recovery phase, spending time in the recovery ward of the hospital, where the staff is less than stellar. Yesterday I dropped by in the afternoon, intending to stay for an hour at most, just to check in on Mom. Instead, I wound up staying for over 5 hours because I had to play go-between and drag the nurses in when they wouldn't respond to my mom's call button, as well as help mom out with things I knew the nurses would drag their heels in getting to.
A number of things aggravated me about the nurses on duty. All of it boiled down to one thing: a bad attitude, not only toward their patients, but toward their work in general. Of the nearly dozen nurses on duty, only one did not possess a holier-than-thou attitude and act with disdain everytime I asked a question or asked for help on my mom's behalf. At one point, we couldn't understand why the nurse who had been tending to my mom all day, just stood there staring vacantly at my mom, who was waving frantically for help. (turns out that it was because of a shift change-- the "night nurse" had officially taken over, but would it have hurt for the "day nurse" to at least come by and reassure us "I'm off duty now, she's your new nurse"??)
Although it's my mom's responsibility to try to get up and walk around to regain her strength, none of the nurses could be bothered to help her up and help her walk around. That I could not understand-- not everyone has family who can spend the entire day at the hospital helping out, I would've expected one of them to come by my mom's room and *force* her to get out and move around a bit, as part of her recovery process! But no. They were all very mean and acted like we were bothering them and they were doing us immense favors for things like putting a bedpan in or helping adjust my mom more comfortably on the bed.
There were many more such "horror stories" from yesterday, but I won't bore you with the details. The important thing is that my mom's slowly improving despite the laziness, arrogance and impatience of the staff charged with her care. I would hate to think how I would feel and react if I were in her situation-- unable to move about, riddled with pain, and helpless because nobody around me (save for family, of course) will help.
She was sitting up when Allan, Todd and I came by today, and her voice was louder. I mean, it was by no means her normal pitch, but at least I didn't have to lean in and put my ear near her mouth to understand what she was saying! Todd entertained her a bit by telling her about his fun-filled day... which I think I will save for a separate blog entry!
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338529494)
I wish I could say the same for my mother. Now, don't get me wrong-- she's been in contact with some excellent, caring, responsible doctors. Just look at the timeline: my dad's company switched to a new insurance provider effective 1 Dec. My mom was able to secure a flurry of immediate appointments and referrals with all the right kinds of doctors-- to the point that surgery itself was scheduled for 13 Dec, a mere 12 days later. That cannot be called anything but a miracle, and for that we're very thankful.
However, now she's on to the recovery phase, spending time in the recovery ward of the hospital, where the staff is less than stellar. Yesterday I dropped by in the afternoon, intending to stay for an hour at most, just to check in on Mom. Instead, I wound up staying for over 5 hours because I had to play go-between and drag the nurses in when they wouldn't respond to my mom's call button, as well as help mom out with things I knew the nurses would drag their heels in getting to.
A number of things aggravated me about the nurses on duty. All of it boiled down to one thing: a bad attitude, not only toward their patients, but toward their work in general. Of the nearly dozen nurses on duty, only one did not possess a holier-than-thou attitude and act with disdain everytime I asked a question or asked for help on my mom's behalf. At one point, we couldn't understand why the nurse who had been tending to my mom all day, just stood there staring vacantly at my mom, who was waving frantically for help. (turns out that it was because of a shift change-- the "night nurse" had officially taken over, but would it have hurt for the "day nurse" to at least come by and reassure us "I'm off duty now, she's your new nurse"??)
Although it's my mom's responsibility to try to get up and walk around to regain her strength, none of the nurses could be bothered to help her up and help her walk around. That I could not understand-- not everyone has family who can spend the entire day at the hospital helping out, I would've expected one of them to come by my mom's room and *force* her to get out and move around a bit, as part of her recovery process! But no. They were all very mean and acted like we were bothering them and they were doing us immense favors for things like putting a bedpan in or helping adjust my mom more comfortably on the bed.
There were many more such "horror stories" from yesterday, but I won't bore you with the details. The important thing is that my mom's slowly improving despite the laziness, arrogance and impatience of the staff charged with her care. I would hate to think how I would feel and react if I were in her situation-- unable to move about, riddled with pain, and helpless because nobody around me (save for family, of course) will help.
She was sitting up when Allan, Todd and I came by today, and her voice was louder. I mean, it was by no means her normal pitch, but at least I didn't have to lean in and put my ear near her mouth to understand what she was saying! Todd entertained her a bit by telling her about his fun-filled day... which I think I will save for a separate blog entry!
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338529494)
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Duck Entourage
Part 2 of my previous blog entry chronicling the past couple days...
Today was Todd's last day of preschool for the year. The preschool is actually an "early learning program" put together by the local city recreation center, which also provides services such as after-school programs, dance classes, music lessons, theater classes and sports classes (including martial arts). Today several such classes put together a "Holiday Show".
Todd's class sang 3 songs-- "Jingle Bells", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "The Dreidel Song". The dance and piano classes put on various recitals, the theater group did an improv and the martial arts groups put on karate and kickboxing demonstrations. Obviously, I was most keenly interested in seeing the performance of all the little toddlers. A bunch of 3 and 4-year-olds singing with glee? That stole the show ;-)
I dressed Todd up in a new red flannel shirt, and the black pants from his suit-- it barely still fit! Here he is dressed up as a dreidel:
Afterward, we headed to nearby Lake Balboa, a gigantic park/golf course/recreation center where the city was holding a Holiday Festival which basically consisted of free food (a hot dog, bag of chips, and juice box for each visitor), vendor booths, and a visit from Santa. It was all fun, especially watching Santa arrive by boat from the distant shore of the lake, but the REAL highlight came when we rented a footpedal-powered paddleboat and floated around the lake.
While eating lunch, Todd and I had fun feeding some of the birds on the lake with bread crumbs from his hot dog. It was amazing how well-trained the birds were-- we didn't even throw in any food at first, all we had to do was stand by the edge of the lake and they swarmed to us, hoping for a handout. Pavlov would be proud ;-)
As we paddled around the lake, I came upon the idea of trying to feed ducks from the boat itself, to see what would happen. You guessed it-- they swarmed around us and swam along with us, and kept peeking up at us, hoping for more food. It was adorable!
It was especially neat to see the interplay between the various ducks. Our first few visitors were a small handful of ducks-- one Mallard duck and a few white ducks whose name I do not know, but whom I referred to as "Aflac ducks" (because they are the mascot for the Aflac insurance company-- ever seen the commercials?) None of the ducks were afraid-- when I held food out in my hand over the water, they'd jump up and clamor for it. One of them even ate right out of Todd's hand-- grabbing the chip before Todd could throw it. He blinked in amazement at his now-empty hand, that's how fast the duck was.
The Mallard was very aggressive, having no trouble pushing the other ducks out of the way to get closer to us. One hilarious sight involved two ducks, beaks interlocked, in a tug-of-war as one tried to grab the food from the other's mouth. And the bigger ducks (the Mallards and Aflacs) liked to come right to the edge of the boat, stick their necks out, and eat off the boat itself! Here's the Mallard, mid-grab:
It wasn't long before other birds got wind of what was going on and flocked to join us, and we had "duck groupies" swimming behind and alongside us wherever Allan paddled around the lake! We were even joined by these strange-looking birds I have yet to identify-- maybe someone can help me? They are black, small (about the size of pigeons), white beaks, and odd feet-- the webbing was not fully connected like on ducks or geese. Their feet look like chicken's feet but with feather-shaped separate webbing along each toe. Towards the end, even the seagulls got in on the action-- flying by around us and settling in to swim with the ducks. That cracked me up because all I could think of were the greedy "Mine!" birds from Finding Nemo! Here is a shot of part of our feathered entourage, who followed us all the way back to the dock when we returned our boat.
I cropped a few of the "mystery birds" out of the photos I took of the entire entourage, and here's a couple of them, hopefully they'll aid a reader out there in figuring out what they are? I'd be much obliged!
I forgot to mention that since by then we were out of hot dog, we supplied the birds with a bag of barbecued potato chips. Todd's and my hands were quite a sight after we were done crumbling up chips and throwing them in the water. The ducks seemed to like it-- I hope they don't get a tummyache over it, especially the aggressive Mr. Mallard, who seemed to have gotten more than his fair share of food today ;-) Next time we visit this lake, we're gonna rent another boat and come prepared with a bag full of bread already crumbled up-- let the fun begin! :-D
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338532068)
Today was Todd's last day of preschool for the year. The preschool is actually an "early learning program" put together by the local city recreation center, which also provides services such as after-school programs, dance classes, music lessons, theater classes and sports classes (including martial arts). Today several such classes put together a "Holiday Show".
Todd's class sang 3 songs-- "Jingle Bells", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "The Dreidel Song". The dance and piano classes put on various recitals, the theater group did an improv and the martial arts groups put on karate and kickboxing demonstrations. Obviously, I was most keenly interested in seeing the performance of all the little toddlers. A bunch of 3 and 4-year-olds singing with glee? That stole the show ;-)
I dressed Todd up in a new red flannel shirt, and the black pants from his suit-- it barely still fit! Here he is dressed up as a dreidel:
Afterward, we headed to nearby Lake Balboa, a gigantic park/golf course/recreation center where the city was holding a Holiday Festival which basically consisted of free food (a hot dog, bag of chips, and juice box for each visitor), vendor booths, and a visit from Santa. It was all fun, especially watching Santa arrive by boat from the distant shore of the lake, but the REAL highlight came when we rented a footpedal-powered paddleboat and floated around the lake.
While eating lunch, Todd and I had fun feeding some of the birds on the lake with bread crumbs from his hot dog. It was amazing how well-trained the birds were-- we didn't even throw in any food at first, all we had to do was stand by the edge of the lake and they swarmed to us, hoping for a handout. Pavlov would be proud ;-)
As we paddled around the lake, I came upon the idea of trying to feed ducks from the boat itself, to see what would happen. You guessed it-- they swarmed around us and swam along with us, and kept peeking up at us, hoping for more food. It was adorable!
It was especially neat to see the interplay between the various ducks. Our first few visitors were a small handful of ducks-- one Mallard duck and a few white ducks whose name I do not know, but whom I referred to as "Aflac ducks" (because they are the mascot for the Aflac insurance company-- ever seen the commercials?) None of the ducks were afraid-- when I held food out in my hand over the water, they'd jump up and clamor for it. One of them even ate right out of Todd's hand-- grabbing the chip before Todd could throw it. He blinked in amazement at his now-empty hand, that's how fast the duck was.
The Mallard was very aggressive, having no trouble pushing the other ducks out of the way to get closer to us. One hilarious sight involved two ducks, beaks interlocked, in a tug-of-war as one tried to grab the food from the other's mouth. And the bigger ducks (the Mallards and Aflacs) liked to come right to the edge of the boat, stick their necks out, and eat off the boat itself! Here's the Mallard, mid-grab:
It wasn't long before other birds got wind of what was going on and flocked to join us, and we had "duck groupies" swimming behind and alongside us wherever Allan paddled around the lake! We were even joined by these strange-looking birds I have yet to identify-- maybe someone can help me? They are black, small (about the size of pigeons), white beaks, and odd feet-- the webbing was not fully connected like on ducks or geese. Their feet look like chicken's feet but with feather-shaped separate webbing along each toe. Towards the end, even the seagulls got in on the action-- flying by around us and settling in to swim with the ducks. That cracked me up because all I could think of were the greedy "Mine!" birds from Finding Nemo! Here is a shot of part of our feathered entourage, who followed us all the way back to the dock when we returned our boat.
I cropped a few of the "mystery birds" out of the photos I took of the entire entourage, and here's a couple of them, hopefully they'll aid a reader out there in figuring out what they are? I'd be much obliged!
I forgot to mention that since by then we were out of hot dog, we supplied the birds with a bag of barbecued potato chips. Todd's and my hands were quite a sight after we were done crumbling up chips and throwing them in the water. The ducks seemed to like it-- I hope they don't get a tummyache over it, especially the aggressive Mr. Mallard, who seemed to have gotten more than his fair share of food today ;-) Next time we visit this lake, we're gonna rent another boat and come prepared with a bag full of bread already crumbled up-- let the fun begin! :-D
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338532068)
Friday, December 14, 2007
Doing Well
Took mom to the hospital yesterday morning, as her checkin was scheduled for 10am (with an anticipated surgery time of noon). After being prepped by the nurses and briefed by the anesthesiologist, who advised us that this operation might take a few hours (and even then I'd have to wait another couple hours for mom to go through post-op before I could see her) I took off. I left my cell phone number with the nurse in charge of my mom, asking them to call me when they were done.
3pm rolled around. Then 4pm. Still no phone call. I was getting a bit antsy. Finally, at 4:45pm I called the hospital. Luckily I still had the phone number of the general surgery department's appointment line onhand, and dialed it directly so they could forward me to the appropriate party. I ended up speaking to a woman in post-op, who told me my mom was doing fine and that she should be delivered to the recovery room by 6:30pm. I was a bit miffed that nobody called me, but I suppose the "no news is good news" maxim applied here-- something that didn't occur to me until after I called.
I fixed dinner for my dad and Todd, then took off-- arriving at the recovery rooms at 6:40pm. I walked into the room and was surprised-- no sign of mom! After hunting down one of the many nurses on duty at that station, I discovered that I had actually beat my mom to arriving there! She was still on her way out of post-op. So I sat in the waiting area for about 15 minutes before wandering back in-- and there mom was.
She looked fine, aside from a bit of jaundice. No breathing tubes or anything sticking out of her. Blood pressure read normal. And she was snoozing away, even snoring a bit. She woke briefly, asked me what time it was and how long I'd been there. She was so disoriented and still drugged up she didn't realize she was in a different room. She kept dozing on and off. At one point she asked me if I'd taken care of dinner, and when I told her I cooked, her eyes widened in surprise (I'm not much of a cook). That cracked me up. When she awoke again a few minutes later, she again asked me what time it was and how long I'd been there. I had to chuckle-- I wonder how much of this conversation she'll remember (if any at all) today when I drop by? anyway, she reassured me that she was comfortable, breathing fine, warm enough, etc...
I tried to find out more about her condition and how things had gone, but since it was after hours, the surgeon was no longer around, and since she'd JUST arrived in recovery, nobody had had a chance to thoroughly review her chart. Hopefully today I can get more answers when I return.
Of course, that will have to wait until after lunch, as I shouldn't bring Todd with me, and there won't be anyone to watch him until Allan arrives from Santa Barbara.
Meantime... I'd better get some breakfast for myself and Todd. I got some library books yesterday (including a really nifty one all about turtles!) so maybe we'll get a chance to delve into them this morning. Also a good way to keep him occupied and prevent him for tearing down the house I just tidied up last night ;-P
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338056330)
3pm rolled around. Then 4pm. Still no phone call. I was getting a bit antsy. Finally, at 4:45pm I called the hospital. Luckily I still had the phone number of the general surgery department's appointment line onhand, and dialed it directly so they could forward me to the appropriate party. I ended up speaking to a woman in post-op, who told me my mom was doing fine and that she should be delivered to the recovery room by 6:30pm. I was a bit miffed that nobody called me, but I suppose the "no news is good news" maxim applied here-- something that didn't occur to me until after I called.
I fixed dinner for my dad and Todd, then took off-- arriving at the recovery rooms at 6:40pm. I walked into the room and was surprised-- no sign of mom! After hunting down one of the many nurses on duty at that station, I discovered that I had actually beat my mom to arriving there! She was still on her way out of post-op. So I sat in the waiting area for about 15 minutes before wandering back in-- and there mom was.
She looked fine, aside from a bit of jaundice. No breathing tubes or anything sticking out of her. Blood pressure read normal. And she was snoozing away, even snoring a bit. She woke briefly, asked me what time it was and how long I'd been there. She was so disoriented and still drugged up she didn't realize she was in a different room. She kept dozing on and off. At one point she asked me if I'd taken care of dinner, and when I told her I cooked, her eyes widened in surprise (I'm not much of a cook). That cracked me up. When she awoke again a few minutes later, she again asked me what time it was and how long I'd been there. I had to chuckle-- I wonder how much of this conversation she'll remember (if any at all) today when I drop by? anyway, she reassured me that she was comfortable, breathing fine, warm enough, etc...
I tried to find out more about her condition and how things had gone, but since it was after hours, the surgeon was no longer around, and since she'd JUST arrived in recovery, nobody had had a chance to thoroughly review her chart. Hopefully today I can get more answers when I return.
Of course, that will have to wait until after lunch, as I shouldn't bring Todd with me, and there won't be anyone to watch him until Allan arrives from Santa Barbara.
Meantime... I'd better get some breakfast for myself and Todd. I got some library books yesterday (including a really nifty one all about turtles!) so maybe we'll get a chance to delve into them this morning. Also a good way to keep him occupied and prevent him for tearing down the house I just tidied up last night ;-P
(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338056330)
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