Cloudy
Mood:  d'oh
Topic: random
To be honest, financial woes hung like a cloud over our weekend. Maternity leave really affected my paycheck. You might remember me writing about it before. So I had to dip into our savings, which we’re lucky to even have at this point.

If this were just a few months ago, I would be scrambling to cash in coins, call my dad and possibly get a loan.  I'm guessing in this economy, it's not so rare to have cash flow issues. In the extreme, I could sell my car title or list my services on craigslist. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but the situation would have to be quite bleak. As it is, things are okay. I’ll get paid in about a week, and other than gas, I have very few expenses.

Creative solutions to our financial problems: Um, blogging! Eating fantastic meals at home! We do like to eat out, so it’s something we need to wean ourselves from. Shopping at the farmer’s market, which is good all around. Eating ramen. That’s what R does. I’ll only eat it if we have kimchi in the house. Drinking tap water – though R is quite the water snob. In a pinch, we can use our neighbor’s wifi or go to the coffeeshop down the street. But it’s not the best solution for two internet addicts. And like I mentioned before, we’re going to soon park the van and drive our other cars that are more fuel efficient. As well, selling the van is a top priority. I will be meeting with my brother tomorrow to get his signature on the title. I’ll know Wednesday afternoon if I can get the title transferred or not. But will anyone be willing to buy a minivan in this economy?

How is the economy affecting you?

Iron and Wood
Mood:  irritated
Topic: random

My brother joined the golf club when he was in high school. Of course, I would tag along when he went to practice on the weekends and learned how to play (a little). My brother’s left-handed though, with left-handed clubs. I had to learn to play left-handed too! Ha ha! I still like the game, and even dragged R out to a driving range last month. It was a lot of fun, even though we didn’t hit them too far. R’s strategy is just to hit them hard, but I know there’s a lot more strategy involved. Maybe Baba will grow up to be the next Tiger Woods, playing in the best golf courses, elbowing with celebs at Las Vegas golf tee times – which I’m sure lots of parents are thinking about their kids! But when they’re this little, you wish them the whole world.

House Hustle
Mood:  amorous
Topic: family
Maybe while R is practicing real estate law (a possibility), I could be a practicing realtor. Believe me, teachers are always looking for that 2nd or 3rd career. Lots of teachers sell Mary Kay or Avon on the side. One teacher at my school even sells Southern Living catalog stuff. I don’t even know what that is. It’s not like you’d have to get an accredited degree to be a realtor, either. Many organizations and colleges offer classes at convenient times and prices.

I wondered for a while if being a realtor would even be worthwhile with the housing market the way it is. But a lot of articles on the web definitely suggests otherwise. My MIL’s realtor is clear evidence himself. He stays busy and drives a nice Mercedes. Times must not be that bad. He’s actually making closings all the time, which usually keeps him from showing my MIL all the houses she wants to see. My MIL might want to look into some information designed to help understand the advantages and disadvantages of real estate investment.

While I was talking with my brother this afternoon, I thought about the possibility of being a stay-at-home mom while R is in law school. We might be moving out of state, and who knows if I’ll be able to find a suitable teaching job. Hmmm. It’s more likely that I’ll be working, just as hard as R will be hitting those law books.

Moon over Miami
Mood:  down
Topic: random

It's called Honeymooner's cystitis. Basically a bladder infection after you've been busy getting busy. R and I are not on our honeymoon and we're not newlyweds. Neither does R need to buy Viagra. I guess we're just horny. I blame it on summer and the spermicide-lubricated condoms (which supposedly increase the risk).

R's my own personal online pharmacy, bringing me my own safe online prescriptions, some antibiotics that should clear it right up. Who needs an edrugstore when your husband works at a hospital? Three more days and I'll be feeling much better. But if this is the price of sex, I think I might pass for a while.

Easy Being Green
Mood:  happy
Topic: random

I also snagged this from A Bird's Life. She's doing some cool things over there! I think I could have done better if I didn't use the A/C as much and if I unplugged some electronic stuff in my apartment. It should have asked me about those compact fluorescent light bulbs! We use those!

Your Life is 72% Green

You live a very green life, and you're aware of how your actions help the earth. Of course, it's hard to be totally green. But when you make a tradeoff, you know why you're making it.

Down Time
Mood:  special
Topic: random

Two of the essential websites I troll were down last night. I mean, I checked them about 100 times, but they were completely out. Of course, I thought our DSL was out, since we are always behind on that bill. Or that Google or Internet Explorer were trying to keep me from makin' some money!

I'll admit to being a web troll these days.  Looking at sites like Top10Webhosting.com and Techcrunch.  I have started to read other random peoples' blogs too, just not a lot of techie ones. I've just started reading up on the "blogosphere" or even optimizing the resources that are out there. Doh.

It gave me time, though, to hold and cuddle more with Ishmael, before he conked out for the night. He is such a good baby. He ate a whole jar of sweet potatoes and half a container of applesauce, then drank 3/4 of his bottle. Then he was out for the night. In the evenings, at least this week, he's been going to sleep fairly easily after eating. It's good in a way, but we also can't interact with him as much. I had to send his new sippy cup with him to daycare so he could practice using it. He doesn't even have time to practice at home, except on weekends.

After Ishmael went to bed, I had time to play with the dogs. At one point, I was play fighting with Ernesto, where I made growling noises and tried to "play-bite" his nose. He went nuts. He would run around the room super fast, panting, and Muddy would growl and try to bite Ernesto's nuts. They would both lick my face like crazy, Muddy going so far as licking the inside of one nostril and biting my nose. Hilarious!

So yeah, I could live without the internet.

Summer School
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Chris Brown - Mix CD
Topic: random

Summer school started today. In addition, we just added about 100 kids to the summer camp - rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. Why 9th graders would want to come, I don't know. I guess to see their friends. This might be their last "free" summer, before they start working summer jobs and such.

Of course, more kids = more work. Will we be able to do pinatas? I'm making it my summer goal to make this a good experience for the kids, despite the complications and the slight cost. One of the major bad things about the camp really is dealing with other adults. Miscommunication, stubborness, entitlement, and selfishness. I have my own self-preservation tendencies or instincts, but I will also work my ass off if asked.

Today, paper "summer" snowflakes.

Metaphor
Mood:  spacey
Topic: random

The middle school where I teach is a "lighthouse" school. It's a metaphor, and we're always talking about it and using it during professional development. Whenever I'm out at a specialty store like American Marine Supply, a yard sale, or thrift store, I keep my eye out for nautical gifts. Lighthouses in particular. I even have a lighthouse cross-stitch sampler I need to complete. The school is replete with lighthouses and I don’t have a single one! Oh, and the (dorky) grade level principal is obsessed with a conch shell, which he goes around blowing. He even passed out to the teachers little seashells at the end of the school year. Yeah, where did I put that thing?

How Are You When You Are?
Mood:  flirty
Topic: blogness

Grabbed this from Rosie Yatch.

Sleeping?

I have to take pills to sleep. It started after we lost Elijah, the racing thoughts that would not stop until after dawn and the feeling like I would never sleep again. Now, the pills pull down on my eyelids until I can't keep them open anymore. I crash into sleep like the tide under a new moon. It's dark and I don't see the things I bump into.

Drunk?

In college, I remember being drunk was like having your own personal strobe light. The stars would move in the sky without the earth having to rotate an inch. And the cool, wet grass underneath my bare skin, as I lie in the quad. My face flushes and pretty soon I'll have to peel off some layers. As a responsible adult, though, too much alcohol is just too dangerous. Bad family stuff and the temptation to fall into the bottle.

High?

The stars are like ice-cold pinpricks. The slightest breeze feels like god's very breath. Life's worries are like ants in the parking lot and the world is in the palm of my hand. I totally get why people do drugs, because they make you feel so good. But there's always an end or a crash, and no one hangs around for those.

Horny?

How much should I reveal? I can be a lap dance seductress or an Amazon woman who knows what she wants. If Rahim and I are apart, we send each other erotic text messages. Hopefully by the time we get together, Baba is taking a nap or at his grandmother's. I love dirty talk too! I guess I'm very verbal. I don't know if it's my fertility instincts or pent up hormones from pregnancies, but R is a lucky guy these days.

You?

Blue in the Tooth
Mood:  d'oh
Topic: family

I had a quick coffee with my brother this afternoon. Iced coffee. Because I was at the Aquarium, I wasn’t able to actually call him during the day, so we texted instead.

Me: Will u b in town tomorrow?
Him: No
Me: Can we meet @ 4 pm? I left title at home.
Him: Ok
Me: Where? Closer to Decatur would be nice.
Him: Starbucks
Me: Ok.  4 pm
Him: Ok

The Starbucks we usually meet at is kinda midway between his house and my house. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of traffic headed that way right around that time. Luckily, today was a good traffic day. I was also concerned about the amount of gas it would take me to get there, but I guess he had to be a jerk and insist. The view of the lake made everything okay, though.

We had to meet because of a mess with the minivan’s title. Too messy to talk about. Hopefully, I’ll be able to transfer it tomorrow. Otherwise, my brother will have to apply for a new title. Or we’ll need to get a lawyer. I told you it was messy.

My brother couldn’t help but brag to me that he was going to get the new iPhone when it comes out. Here’s a guy that wears one of those Bluetooth things in his ear all the time. He uses his phone to listen to Britney Spears (I’m guessing) and look up pharmaceutical facts. Those headset systems are popular and trendy, which is why he would want to wear one.  And he was like, “I wonder what I should do with this old iPhone.” He’s recently moved about 4 hours from Atlanta for his job, but he’s not able to sell his house yet. He went ahead and bought some new furniture for his new apartment, but doesn’t know what to do with his living room set, bedroom set, and two dining room sets that are left behind. Not to mention the extra refrigerator and widescreen television. Hey, don’t look at me. Those things don’t come without strings attached. 

It’s ironic too that he wants to give away a pull-out sofa that my mom had asked him for years ago. When my parents would stay with him over the holidays, she slept on it and liked it a lot for her back. But he refused her, the woman who sent him money every month to help his bills and cleaned his house when she visited. For no good reason, either.