Archive for October, 2008
| Blue Eyes takes the best pics. Check ‘em out. Now I wish we could go back!!
Landscape
View from our room
Lake on the drive to Julian
Doe
View from dinner
View from San Diego hotel
Soy soap
Yummy breakfast – spinach, tomatoes, eggs on English muffins
Picking apples
Kissing Squirrel
Vase
More soy soap
I’m sick. Blah. I just need a hug today.
Voted today (yay Obama) and then stopped at Einstein Bros. bagels for a cup of coffee. It was 8:15. And sitting in front of me in line was my Dad. Who was supposed to be at work. Yep, back to his hiding/pretending deal. This bipolar stuff sucks. I don’t even know him anymore. My mother is devastated.
And I have to take Friday off work. Pumpkinhead’s teacher called me in for a conference yesterday with the principal and the school counselor. Apparently he is “out of control” and “the loudest kid around” and “nobody wants to be his friend.” He’s “highly intelligent” with “lots of potential” but they “can’t stretch him if he continues to act this way.” The conversation turned to medication and all three women just about jumped across the table telling me he needs it now. They basically said that they can either put him in special ed for the smaller class size or I can medicate him and then he can “reach his potential” in gifted/talented classes but they won’t be able to let him do that if he can’t calm himself. I get it. But he is FIVE!!! 
This breaks my heart. I talked to his pediatrician. She helped me get in to see a psychiatrist Friday afternoon and I’m also taking him to the psychologist who tested him on Friday morning for cognitive behavior therapy, which will apparently teach him strategies to concentrate more. They said he cannot anticipate consequences and that is why he gets so upset when he does something and gets in trouble for it. I can’t watch him be broken by this. He comes home every night and when he hasn’t had a “good” day, he starts tearing up and says, “Oh, Mommy, I’m trying soooo hard to be good.” 
Wish I could wave a magic wand and fix this for him.
The Weekly MILP (Moms In the Legal Profession) Roundup** is the brainchild of Saramel (retired). It is hosted on a rotating basis at the PT-LawMom, A Little Fish in Law School, and A New Duck blogs and is usually posted no later than Monday morning. Next week’s MILP Roundup will be hosted by Butterflyfish, who is rolling on the floor laughing at the restraint I am exercising in not putting my wicked dirty mind to use on a theme appropriate to the week.
No on 8!!!! Support Googie Baba and her wife (and Dakota and hers)(and [In]Sanity Girl)(and WordToYourMothers). Googie Baba said in a great comment to a ProtoAttorney post, “I don’t have the energy to try and destroy anything, let alone Christianity. I just want to hold my wife’s hand.”
I could have told you that Andrea and her huge heart are Heaven-sent. Good thing her clients know a great girl when they meet one.
3L Wannabe looked up and wondered where everyone went
Butterflyfish is growing up
A [sparkly] New Duck is revealed!
Dakota agrees that sometimes ignorance is bliss
Angry Pregnant Lawyer is giving up the Blawg
LEO finds out that law students are especially obnoxious when you are pregnant (Girl, my birthday is December 28 and I turned out just fine… well, okay, you be the judge. Still.)
Citations shares some beautiful scenery and a Tofu Ranch?!?
Mieke’s son provides some laugh-out-loud distraction from what was probably a very routine and dull Evidence class
ProtoAttorney’s life makes ME tired (and check out her awesome baby pic)!!
LagLiv shares a delicious, nibble-worthy belly and the joys of early mornings with a child around
Over at LawMummy, we’re reminded that it really is the simple things in life that matter
TrannyHead rocks yet another week of questions. ROFL. Bar stool. Bwahahahaha
LawyerMama is living the dream!! Go Steph!!! (And, OMG, Joe Biden is totally cuddling her son in the sidebar Flickr pics!)
Legally Certifiable is experiencing the truly special parts of life as a litigator
It was this time last year that the original Mom in Law School, Kim, won $10,000 for blogging on her journey with breast cancer, thanks in large part to many of you getting out there and voting for her.
Shelley shares a wicked cute picture of Peach, more litigation horror stories and an awesome child’s Obama shirt.
Cee talks about her experience with this historic election (and shares super-cute Jacob pics)
Zuska has been thrust into pre-teen world, with all the drama that accompanies that adventure
Over at Balancing Act, it’s time to get back to work, Mom
If you’d like to have your blog added to the MILP blogroll for weekly review or would like us to consider a specific post, drop the hostess(es) an email or leave a comment at their respective sites.
**Hat tip to the “original†Roundup — Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground and Thanks, But No Thanks
The weirdest thing on my trip to California? The Republican lesbian from Dallas who was sitting behind us spitting into a cup (I have no idea why…), waxing poetic about the Sarah Palin biography she was reading and talking about how challenging it was to visit San Francisco and see all the pro-Obama signs. Huh. Republican……lesbian. Lesbian……Republican. Yeah, I’m still shaking my head. I suppose I can see how you could be conservative and lesbian. But why not Independent? Seriously, to associate yourself with a party that makes “family values” one of its main cornerstone arguments and actively lobbies against your basic civil rights just seems wrong somehow.
And now, for those “Republican” lesbians out there, a little quiz:
|
You Are a Liberal Lady |
 Like Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, you don’t shy away from your liberal causes. You may consider yourself a feminist, and you definitely trust your heart to tell you what’s right. You are likely to have a million issues you care about – and not nearly enough time to devote to them all. |
Contented sigh. I may have just had the most relaxing vacation ever. Having spent years vacationing with my family and rarely alone or with someone whose company I truly enjoy, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had such a good time. Now my mother’s travel attitude did show up a bit on our return home (Blue Eyes gets a little frustrated with travel complications, whereas I’m much more chill and easily irritated by frustrated people). I got caught in the crosshairs there at the end and was a little snippy when he was saying goodbye, but the weekend was so great and that was such a teensy part of it. After a good night’s sleep, all I can think about was what an awesome time we had.
So Friday night I got into San Diego around 10 p.m. (midnight my time) after a very long and hectic day at work. Blue Eyes had spent a really fun day touring a medical supply vendor’s facility and giving professional recommendations on some new products. He’d also spent the evening at Morton’s and polished off half of a $100 bottle of wine so he was a bit dopey by the time I arrived. LOL. The view from one of the uppermost floors of our hotel was incredible. I’m including one of Blue Eyes’ many postcard-perfect pictures below for your viewing pleasure.
We slept in a bit on Saturday morning, enjoying the deliciously comfortable bed and watching the sun rise through the open balcony doors. Fortunately our bodies were on Central time so we were up fairly early by local standards. We drove around downtown searching for a place to eat and landed on Cafe 222, a popular local joint. I had the Benedict Arnold ((Eggs Benedict with spinach and tomatoes instead of ham) and Blue Eyes had Peanut Butter Banana French Toast. Freaking awesome food!!!
After breakfast, we hopped in our rental SUV and drove about an hour north into the mountains to the old mining town of Julian, CA. Along the way we stopped many times so Blue Eyes could take pictures of the breathtaking scenary. It was the most gorgeous day and the mountains, trees, lakes, etc., were just awesome. Julian is a town famous for its apples and you could smell them (and the resulting pies) immediately upon arriving in town. We checked out the B&B where we were staying and then took the innkeeper’s recommendation for a local apple picking spot. We paid $5 each to try five wines at a local winery and I purchased a bottle of apple wine to bring back. Then we walked across the road to the orchard and wandered around picking super-sweet/tart apples and enjoying each others’ company. It was perfect.
Saturday afternoon was spent walking around Julian checking out the tiny boutique stores, sampling apple cider and just generally having a blast. We went back to the room around 3 to drop our stuff and take a nap, then it was back out around 6 for a horse-drawn carriage ride around town with a local guide telling us about the town’s history. We ate at a very quaint and romantic little restaurant downtown. We sat in the carriage house overlooking the patio and the beautiful fire pit. I started with a yummy squash soup and bread and then was too full to eat my salmon spinach salad. LOL. So I watched Blue Eyes eat his Georgia Peach chicken and took my salad for a midnight snack, along with a slice of apple berry pie for later.
After dinner, we took a drive around the local roads. We finally pulled off the road only to come across a Coyote racing into some bushes. Yikes. Instead of getting out of the car like we had planned, we opened the roof and lay back for some star-gazing. You wouldn’t believe how brilliantly clear the night was. You could almost reach up and grab a star. It was just perfect. We were probably there an hour or so and then we went back to the B&B. I’ll keep the TMI to myself and leave the rest to your imaginations. 
All I will say is Mmm-Hmm!
Sunday morning was more sleeping in, a walk around the gorgeous B&B to view the rescued animal site (potbellied pig, rabbits, sheep, goats, chickens, etc.) and the grounds where they regularly hold weddings. The views from our room were amazing and I’m so thrilled that we chose that place to go. The room wasn’t much to speak of but it served its purpose and was really reasonable ($80) for the area. It was also the only one without a two-night minimum stay.
Probably the best part of our trip was after Sunday breakfast when we walked to a local art gallery and got to meet a brilliant local photographer who showed us his private gallery. I’ll get the URL from Blue Eyes later but let me just say that this man’s work almost made me cry it was so beautiful. And Blue Eyes had a blast chatting with the guy about camera equipment, printing techniques, etc. Blue Eyes used to have a photography studio so this was right up his alley. The man had a picture of a field filled with deep purple flowers that I loved, as well as a great shot of the setting sun hitting a field while, above him, the most massive monsoon-like storm was rolling in. I would have loved to take that one home but, like any great art, the prices were too steep for my budget. I did pick up a beautiful necklace/earring set by a local artist.
Reluctantly around 1 p.m. we headed back to the airport. We encountered a few frustrations there but I had a Very Big (and damned expensive) Bloody Mary and my BP dropped back down. Blue Eyes maintained his at a high level most of the evening, capped off when his fairly new luggage pretty much disintegrated at baggage claim. Sigh… Unfortunately a huge bottle of Apple Butter broke in his luggage (ugh) but the yummy pies we carried back made it home safe and sound.
It was a spectacular, amazing, delicious, special weekend and I am so glad I went. The company was excellent, the views were unparalleled and the sites we saw/people we met were just incredible. Sigh… 
I know I have the roundup this weekend but it just isn’t going to happen until tomorrow. Probably tomorrow night. Just got back from a very relaxing weekend that ended on just a bit of a tense note and I’m not in the mood for blogging right now. Tomorrow I am definitely going to tell you all about my lovely weekend (well, maybe not all…) and get that roundup right up. But in the meantime, please forgive my blogger apathy. Don’t really want to face work or school either so don’t take it personally. LOL.
It’s 11:15. I worked until 9 and had to run errands on the way home. I swear, sometimes preparing for a vacation is more exhausting than anything else. Got the wrong colored pantyhose and had to go exchange it and now I’m home ironing clothes. Ugh. I rarely iron so of course since I had the iron out, I decided to run it over the rest of the badly wrinkled clothes hanging in my closet. I may have to wait until the morning to finish packing because I am so exhausted I can’t even think. I know generally what I need to take but my body doesn’t want to get up off this chair I just sat down in. Work is insane right now and I have way too much to do for school as well. I need to figure out what to take with me on the plane study-wise.
Blue Eyes’ plane was delayed tonight. Fortunately he has a direct flight. Mine stops in Vegas for about an hour and I have to change planes. Don’t get in until 9:30 p.m. (11:30 my time). Boo. Fortunately the hotel is less than 2 miles away. I told Blue Eyes he’d better rest up! I don’t want to be standing outside the hotel room banging on the door while he is passed out. LOL. Besides, all those cute undergarments (and the right shade of pantyhose for Pete’s sake!) can’t go to waste. Got to maximize the two days away. 
The Roundup will either be up Saturday or Monday. I’m taking my laptop with me and will have access at the first hotel but not at the B&B. I’m not much of a sleeper and I’m on Mommy time (i.e., early wakeup) but Blue Eyes is the opposite so I may have some time Saturday morning to work on it while he sleeps. We’ll see. Hope all of you have a great weekend. Send me smooth work vibes tomorrow as I launch a MAJOR project across 117 countries using quirky technology that may or may not be friendly to me. Have to leave at 4 (early) so it had better go well!!! 
Now you know why I was at work until 9. Trying to anticipate every contingency. Sigh… Still have to pack Pumpkinhead’s bag for a weekend with his Daddy. But for now I am hitting the sack.
I am having such a good day. Seriously, everything has fallen into place. Even the crappy calls with Chapin ended on a good note at the end. So here are some examples:
1) An initiative that I’ve been trying to get off the ground at work finally fell into place and more quickly than I could have anticipated.
2) I found out that one of the classes I need to make up will be offered next summer which means I don’t have to take it in the spring. Which means I only have to be at school TWO NIGHTS next semester!!! Yay. Also means I have to take an intersession course to make up the credits (two nights = only two classes), but who cares?!?
3) My paper topic that was due is now not due for two more weeks. Woo-hoo.
4) I was going to miss two classes while away on business. One was rescheduled for that Friday when I will be back and the other is going to allow me to conference in. Hooray!!
5) I left class, looked at my watch and realized our teacher let us out almost an hour early!! Obviously I was in a good news daze.
Since I’m out early, I am off to watch a guy whose blue eyes make me tingle bowl a little. And rub my tattoo in the face of the guy that dared me last week. 
