Shots

So far I think I've done a pretty good job being as normal as I could, considering the daily dose of hormones I've been taking. Today was not the best day though.

When we started out doing the bathroom we just wanted to get the basics done. I wanted the pipes repaired or replaced, and moved. The electricity was already done, but we needed the plugs put in and a switch for the light over the vanity. We also wanted the floor leveled. The idea was that with a few things done, we could pretty much do the rest by ourselves.

Problem? Of course. We really love the carpenter we hired. He's done work for us in the past, and at this point it's almost like he's a part of the family. The plumber however. The plumber is NOT someone we would ever, EVER recommend.

Still, I think it was hormones, not PTSD, not normal PMS, or even just a moody day, that caused me to loose it when we realized the plumber had made a serious mistake when moving one of the pipes.

Can the problem be corrected, sure. Without undoing a wall of tile, no.

I'm still pretty sure I should have been kinder, or at least less loud. I'm blaming it on the shots. Trouble is, they're only going to get worse. Starting Saturday I start doubling my medicine.

Lenten Home Renovation

My Lenten sacrifice was supposed to be spending. I figured if people around the country could have a no-buy month, I could do the same for Lent, right?

Well, except that I already had a vacation scheduled for March, and the fact that we're putting in a bathroom.

No-buy for me wouldn't be a huge problem if it wasn't for food. We eat out way more that we should. Up until vacation (like, a whole week) I managed to make meals only from what we had in the kitchen already. I also had dinner figured out for today (I was thawing the homemade soup I'd put in the freezer a few weeks ago) but got derailed by a lack of white flour. I have a "no-fail" bread recipe that is perfect, but only if you use regular flour. Soup without bread is like peanut butter without jelly. But did I just go buy some bread? No, we ordered pizza because both of us were starving and Gerd wanted to get started on the bathroom tiles.

He's in there now, mortaring away. Since he's a perfectionist it's taking a while, but I know it will come out great. I've got my own bathroom assignment. The pull on our master bath has stopped switching from bath to shower, so I decided to fix it. After an expensive trip to Home Depot (more stuff purchased for the new bathroom too), I had everything I needed to fix our bath. Gerd did have to use brute strength to pull off the first bath attachment, but I did manage to replace the bath nozzle myself.

Finally I got to take a good long shower after my trip. It was beautiful and warm, and way too short. I'm not sure my friend that I drug along with me had a perfect time, but I pretty much did. And I didn't have to be around as Gerd began learning how to lay tile. (When I returned he said to me, "I didn't realize how messy putting down tile would be"..Hah!)

So now that I know a no-spending lent has been less than ideal, I'm trying to figure out another way to enrich my life over the next few weeks. Next year I think I'll give up technology (cell phone, computer, TV, heck, maybe even the mixer) but that doesn't help me now. I need something that would be meaningful for two weeks. Any ideas?

Ca Va? Ca Va

Sometimes marriage is a pain (I mean that in the most loving of ways) and other times it's a life saver. Marrying late in life (okay I'm not ancient, but mid 30's is not exactly early either) I've become used to fending for myself, and never needing to think about a second person's concerns. So marriage makes life harder sometimes, BUT sometimes it makes life so much easier.

Like today, the work day from hell. Real food sounded great for dinner but so did crashing on the couch. (By real food I mean something I know where it came from, and has been cooked from the original source of food.) My husband came home, saw the browbeaten expression on my face, and fixed dinner. Pork chops from a local farm and potatoes from our box of Boston Organics. He even did the dishes (although that was actually a broken rule...he who cooks must not do the dishes). Without my husband I probably would have ended up eating ramen noodles or a bowl of cereal before crawling into bed for the night.

Thank goodness for husbands.

Sometimes a Run Is JUST What I Need

Somehow I don't seem to be able to do things at a normal pace. Life is either ON or OFF. Right now it's ON at full speed.

The bathroom is coming along pretty quickly, although my husband is grumpy, which makes me grumpy. He wanted to do the tile work around the bath, AFTER tiling the floor (so he could practice). The problem? Our toilet is sitting in the hallway, our vanity is laid out in the basement, and we have a bathroom full of tools. Oh, and Gerd's taking off for the Ukraine, which means he can't even start on the floor until April...IF he can get it started, and finished, before his trip to Europe for Easter. Our contractor wants to build the shower enclosure and needs to have an idea of how high to build the wall, so the tile has to be done now, if we want the construction of the bathroom to finish soon, and our house to go back to looking normal.

We can't do much about the Ukraine trip, except perhaps reschedule it, but the Ukraine part of his job is what's keeping his job alive in the company. He could do it later, along with the other Europe trip, but that would make him gone for 3 straight weeks while I go through hormone treatment alone, transfer alone, and find out the results of said treatment...alone. So we can't really win. If we wait until May or June for treatment we run into other plans, and Gerd will still be required to go back and forth to the Ukraine until he finds another job. Is he looking yet, no.

My work day wasn't much better today. Between having to redo my lesson plans 15 minutes before the school day (since the computer lab was down) and the counselor being away (in Hong Kong) for a week, it wasn't much of a Monday. Add to that a call from the pharmacy that said our medicine would be $2500 if we couldn't clear it through our insurance (we did, but it required a different billing code and a transfer to another pharmacy).

So a run to reduce stress was just about the best way I could spend my afternoon. Now I'm off to look up paneling for the bathroom, a storage shed for the backyard, and an arbor for the grapes that will now get here while Gerd is gone.

Welcome Millie

My cousin and his wife have welcomed their first child to the world yesterday. I found out a little late since my mom *forgot* to tell me, but I managed to call both cousin and wife and offer congratulations soon enough that I didn't appear uninterested in their lives. I really want them to know how happy I am for them, and for them to be able to share openly all of their baby joy.

Babies are a bittersweet topic for me right now. Of course I'm thrilled for anyone having a child (even my unprepared teenage students) but also want a baby of my own so badly that it hurts. I start hormone shots next week and I'm pretty excited about the possibility of it actually working this time. Still, I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high.

In the mean time I'm trying to keep my mind off of children. In the end I really don't have any control over what happens, so I might as well not think about it. I'd rather focus on finishing our bathroom and building the laundry room, and getting ready for my garden. Have I mentioned that I've ordered grape vines and peach and cherry bushes, and even a plum tree? Fedco should send them in less than a month.

First Car Service

I've been told my car needs to be serviced every 5000 miles or every 6 months. It used to be 3ooo, so it feels a bit uncomfortable for me to wait that long. I'm kind of glad I reached the 6 month mark while still in the 3000 mile range, not only because it feels better to get my car serviced with fewer miles, but also because it means I'm meeting my self imposed 7000 mile annual limit. Since I live only 3 miles away from where I work, technically I should only need to drive 30 miles a week, which would put me far below 2000 miles a year, but we use my car all the time. It's small enough that we can usually find a small parking spot, even when people are double parked along our street. It's in a Yaris spot now, as a matter of fact.

In order to get my car serviced, I'm going to need to remaster the public transportation system. I don't trust the Boston Toyota dealer after some shady dealing with them earlier, so I'm headed out to Danvers where I ended up buying my car. I know tons of people who say you shouldn't use the dealership service department because it's a waste of money, but I like keeping my car records all together if I can. The only problem is getting there, and getting to work.

So tomorrow I'll get up at 6am so I can make it there by 7am and be dropped off at the commuter rail station. From the commuter rail I'll take the subway to a bus station, and then take a bus to work, arriving around 9am. All in all it will take me 2 1/2 hours to get to work tomorrow. Leaving work it'll be longer, because I'll get stuck in rush hour traffic returning from the dealership. Living in the city isn't easy at times, and I frequently find that I need to get out of the city to get the kind of service, or attention, that I like.

Can you tell that I love my Toyota? Or perhaps that I'm displaying a lot of faith in the Danvers dealership? Or maybe that I'm not much of a city girl after all?

The Future of Food Review

I love a good documentary, but I'm also easily disappointed by a mediocre one. After watching The Future of Food, I'm still ruminating. Was is good, mediocre, bad? Somehow, despite some key points made for the food movement, something fell flat. The key points made about the states' agriculture system included genetically modified foods and their dangers, and how corporations have bought out our government.

I think the problem with the movie isn't necessarily the facts, but the very narrow focus on genetically modified foods. According to the movie only 25% of food is genetically modified in the states, but our problems are MUCH bigger than that. Food, Inc. did a much better job discussing problems with regulation of all farms, including large farms that don't use GMA seed.

But I think it's an important movie to see, if only for the clear explanation of how foods can be genetically altered. Still, it's not the first food documentary to see. I'd still recommend Food, Inc. and then possibly King Corn if you want a clear picture of the problems with agriculture in America. Dirt, the Movie, while not wholly focused on food is another must see. All four can be viewed via Netflix in their Watch Instantly section. If you have a smart phone the Netflix app will stream Watch Instantly films on the 3G network if you don't mind a little screen (which I don't) and even save your spot if you watch in 10 minute increments (which I tend to do).

However you get your hands on these documentaries, they're bound to make you think about your dinner. It's just what I needed to give myself a kick in the butt to plan out my meals better. When I don't plan ahead we end up either eating out or eating some quick processed food that's easy to make, but of unknown origin. I always knew I wanted to know my food a little better, but sometimes it takes a documentary to remind me why.