Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Blah blah


I need to get back into the swing of things around here. I keep not blogging just because I don't have anything really interesting to say and all the slightly interesting stuff isn't enough for a whole post, but I realized this morning that if I keep to that pattern, I'll never post anything.

Dumb for a smart person
I'm on-paper smart, in that I was always good at school. I even managed to graduate college with a 4.0 in one of my majors (hint:  not the science one). But sometimes, I will admit, I am inexplicably dumb. There are many examples, but the one that was brought to mind yesterday is my constant inability to remember what a bank holiday actually entails. Every time there is a bank holiday, I go to the bank or the post office or both and then am really shocked and cranky when the establishment in question is closed.

Last year I left work to go to the bank on Columbus Day. I brought all my banking materials, left my office, drove to the bank, and then sat in my car and sent increasingly pissy tweets about why the hell was the bank closed and it was after opening time and was it some kind of banker in-service or what? And then I realized, ding-dong, hello, you're a moron and slunk back to work. Not a month later, on Veterans Day, I went several miles out of the way to take a check to the bank while out running errands. And yesterday morning I boxed up a gift for a friend and smugly popped it into Nico's diaper bag before we headed out. For once, a gift wasn't going to sit on the dining room buffet for weeks waiting to be sent. I was going to send it the very day it was wrapped! Booyah! Only...not so much. I have no idea what it is about this concept that is so hard for me to nail down. Bank holiday. Banks are closed. DO NOT MAKE A SPECIAL TRIP TO CONFIRM.

In other dumb news, I was so excited about finally buying myself a pair of cute rain boots on Sunday that I included them on my daily list of happy items at Grace in Small Things. Then Monday I went shopping in the rain wearing trainers and didn't even think about the boots until I was unloading Nico's stroller in the Target parking lot and feeling crabby about my wet jeans.


Hosebeast
I hate our vacuum. Okay, maybe hate is a strong word, but I really don't like anything about it. We thought it was decent when we bought it, and maybe it was for a while, but now it's just adequate. Being eco-conscious hippie-dippy types, we went with the bagless option, but now I regret it. I hate cleaning the damn cylinder out and so I put it off as long as possible. Then when I finally do empty it, it's jammed full of really fine grody dust that's been around so long it's building dust civilizations and developing advanced dust technologies. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate. So indulge me for a second...do you have a vacuum you love? Or have one in mind that you'd buy if money were no object?


Obligatory baby update
We had people over for a casual birthday party for Nico on Saturday afternoon. As per family tradition we invited my aunts and cousins as well as close friends, Julia from work, and my nursing group friend. We ended up with about 18 adults and six little kids, which doesn't look that impressive written down, but it was a pleasantly full house. I barely saw my kid through the first hour and a half of the party as he was exploring the playroom (which had toys in it for the first time) with the other kids or crawling in never-ending laps around and around the kitchen / dining room / living room / foyer loop. More than once I realized I hadn't seen him in a while and had to call out, "Has anyone seen my kid?"

We didn't have any fancy party plans, we just got a banner and a balloon, bought some veggies and fruit and chips and various dips, and let everyone hang out. It seemed like people had an okay time, and my aunts and cousins got embroiled in a dominoes game that lasted about an hour longer than the official party, but I didn't mind. I feel a little sheepish about Nico's haul of gifts, though of course I'm stupidly grateful that people brought him things. MB and I didn't buy him anything since we weren't sure what he'd be getting, and it's probably for the best since he probably doubled his possessions in one afternoon. I'm kind of torn on listing his gifts even though I want to tell you about them because I'm so pleased for him, so I guess I'll refrain. (Unless you guys want to know, then I'll tell you! Awkward consumerism / conscience conflict!) At Christmas all he wanted to do was eat wrapping paper, but at his party he actually participated in the gift opening to some degree. He also ate / destroyed a cupcake with great enthusiasm, much to my delight. I had been a little worried he wouldn't eat the cake at all.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of cakes, this was his main birthday cake. I made it. I should probably give it a post all of its own.


I only have video of him eating his birthday cupcake at his party, no stills, but here he is eating a leftover cupcake last night. Hooray for cake!



4 comments:

  1. Ha ha! I love "DO NOT MAKE A SPECIAL TRIP TO CONFIRM."

    Also, the cake!! The cake the cake the cake!! Yes it needs its own post, because I have to make a dinosaur cake for Henry in four months and I am already worrying about it!

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  2. Anonymous7:20 AM

    If it makes you feel better, I went to the mailbox Monday to check for mail despite having had a conversation about the holiday not 30 minutes before.

    Love that cake!!!

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  3. That is a great cake - love the shot of him eating it!

    My favorite part of this post: "Then when I finally do empty it, it's jammed full of really fine grody dust that's been around so long it's building dust civilizations and developing advanced dust technologies." HA.

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  4. that's a beautiful cake!

    i love our dyson. we actually got a ridiculous deal on a discontinued model and then asked people to help us pay for it for Christmas. one of the best presents ever. even though you have to clean the cylinder, it's easy to tap it out without fear of advanced dust technologies sending out a missle at you. works like a dream, too.

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