My Blue World

2012-02-07T19:09:00.003-06:00

I snapped this picture of "Fifi" today from the taxiway at Addison. I did landings at Mesquite airport during my lunch break.

The clouds were reported overcast at 5000 feet from the surface but there were some smaller clouds floating around 3000 feet. I stayed clear of them, but it was neat see those wisps of cloud so close. There was a line of fluffy clouds moving West (I was going East) but I stayed below them at 2000 feet, more or less.

My patterns at Mesquite were alright but I was consistently high on final approach. In all, I did 4 landings at Mesquite and one beautiful, damn-near perfect landing at Addison.

I told Patrick (owner/manager guy) that I was batting an 80% average on practice tests for the FAA written exam. I feel I'm ready enough to take the test knowing I won't ace it. But he insists I continue striving for a 90% average before attempting the test. I'm not in a rush so I'm not going to push the issue. But now once I've done a couple cross countries, I'll be (hopefully) more than ready to take the test.

In other news, Joshua got a part in the school play Aladdin. He's the part of an apple peddler and some character named Yogi. He worked hard to memorize the line that earned him his spot. We're proud of him. I guess I'll rent Aladdin so he can get the big picture idea of the story.

Also in family news, Rusty was diagnosed with having stage 3 osteoarthritis in his right knee and a torn meniscus. In addition to pampering his knees, he will likely need knee replacement in the next 10-20 years. He's been having knee pains leading up to the doctor's visit. Now we know why and that it's not going away. :-(

2012-01-28T15:26:00.005-06:00

I spent time studying for my FAA exam this morning by attending the flight school's ground school. Today's session was about multiple topics that will be on the exam, in the form of a Jeopardy game. I won't bore you with the nerdy details of what I learned.

EXCEPT for this really cool trick for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit in your head without fancy math or needing to know it's 9/5 plus 32. Ready?

Prime example: let's start with 15° C
First, double the number = 30
Take away 10% = 30-3= 27
Add 32 = 27+32= 59° F
That's it!

Another example:
9° C doubled = 18
18 take 10% = 16.2 (I'll round down)
16 add 32= 48
48° F

Last example:
38° C doubled= 76
76 take 10%= 68.4 (I'll round down)
68 add 32= 100
100° F

Let's go backwards!
59° F
subtract 32 = 27
add 10% = 27+2.7= 29.7 (I'll round up)
30 in half is 15° C

85° F minus 32=
53 add 10%= 58.3 (I'll round down)
58 in half is 29° C

This doesn't help me pass my exam or fly any better, but now I can convert inflight or without my E6B handy if I need to.

(Thanks Captain!)

2012-01-24T07:13:00.004-06:00

My first real solo flight was yesterday and it went very well. I flew out to a practice east of Lake Hubbard and practiced my turns. I did S-turns over a long road and some steep turns. I really focused on turning without ascending or descending.

On a whim, I decided to do a touch-and-go at a small airport called Rockwall. I located the pattern radio using the GPS, entered the pattern and proceeded towards Final. As I was on Final, I noticed there were tall electric lines in front of the runway. No worries! I stayed high to scale those lines then landed beautifully! My landing was so good, I got distracted that I intended to do a touch-and-go and kept going down the runway. Change of plans: taxi back to the end for another take-off!

Coming into Addison was fine. I began to drift north of where I needed to be, not from wind, but by sight. I confused a group of tall building along the tollway north of Addison with my destination. Once I realized this, I corrected myself. My landing at Addison was fine but I came in high. The benefit to coming in high is that I took up a lot of runway and was closer to my turn off for taxi. But really, I know I need to work on landing at Addison, especially when coming in from a non-pattern direction.

Overall, the flight was great! I was beaming at the end. Turns out, I did make one mistake. I was not supposed to land at any other airport than Addison or Mesquite. So that Rockwall experience is mine alone and doesn't count towards my logbook. My flight instructor forgave me but made it clear not to do that again.

Next on my schedule: prove I'm capable to plan a cross country so I can fly that.

By the way, the stylish blue visor is my solution in lieu of sunglasses. I intend to have it signed by my flight instructors when I'm done.

2012-01-21T21:12:00.004-06:00

I'm studying for the FAA written exam. I got a 78% on my practice test earlier today. It's an improvement, but I need more focus on certain topics.

But here's one series of questions I'll never get wrong again because I came up with an easy way to keep it straight in my head.

FAA advisory circulars containing subject matter specifically related to Airmen are issued under which subject number? 60

FAA advisory circulars containing subject matter specifically related to Airspace are issued under which subject number? 70

FAA advisory circulars containing subject matter specifically related to Air Traffic Control are issued under which subject number? 90

Here's how to I'll remember which is which. The above bold words happen to be in alphabetical order and the only three numbers to remember for this type of question are 60, 70 and 90. Alphabetical order = numeric order

I truly hope I get this question on the real test. :-)

By the way, FAA advisory circulars can be found online here. I haven't figured out why this type of question is testable- who cares what number it is?

2012-01-18T20:46:00.003-06:00

I flew today after work taking an instructor for a ride. He didn't interfere or talk much. He just wanted to know I could get around without assistance. I did fine. In the end, he endorsed me to solo out of Addison (my home airport) so all that's left is solo time!! And ground work to plan a cross country flight. And LOTS of practice tests until I'm ready for my written exam.

In other news, I went to a safety seminar last night put on by AOPA. That was engaging. I wished Rusty could have joined me but he was working late. I loved that the meeting was interactive. There were some good safety reminders and reinforcement to training concepts I'm practicing such as stall recovery, flight planning, weight & balance, and generic good judgement.

AOPA sent an email asking members to support them in a stand against a proposed general aviation user fee. It would raise approximately $11 billion over 10 years by charging $100 for flights by commercial and turbine jet airplanes, and a fraction of the fee for small planes.
Here's the FAA's FAQ on the matter: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/reauthorization/media/Questions_Answers.pdf

I'm conflicted as to whether I support a user fee for general aviation usage. If the bill means to tax corporate jets and commercial planes, I'd support a small tax like $50-100. But most small plane pilots are far from rich and wouldn't be able to afford a user tax. A small tax would help fund outdated equipment upgrades, which we need. But I do have a "don't tread on me" attitude. Taxing small plane pilots would likely deter pilots in general. Fewer pilots would mean fewer airplane sales, fewer supplies sales, high costs for flight schools (thus fewer students and some business closure), and fewer taxes from avgas fuel consumption.

But I respect that we're in tight times and need funds to support an aging aviation infrastructure.

My opinion: a proportional user tax would be fair. Small tax for small planes including flight schools, larger taxes on larger commercial planes and corporate jets. Then a repeal of this tax when we finally beat this long recession!

Honestly though, I doubt it would pass during this administration since the Republicans are very opposed to it.

2012-01-13T20:54:00.003-06:00

I don't know for sure if he heard me but right after I took off for my first solo flight out of Mesquite, I loudly shouted,

"Yeee-haaw!! Woo-hooo!!"

(What did you expect from a Texan?)

I did three touch-and-goes at Mesquite all by myself. My landings were all great, my patterns were good, my approach was low for one landing but I adjusted fine. It was a great feeling to finally fly alone. And eerily quite without the company.

After my last landing, I picked up my CFI waiting on the ground and we departed towards Addison airport. Over Lake Hubbard I called into Regional Control. Normally, they would give me a squawk code for my transponder and direct me towards to the airport but today was different. The controller was very busy diverting traffic away from Addison. There was an airplane that (apparently) had a rough or fast landing without brakes and went off the runway. Nobody got hurt and his aircraft survived. It was a bit of a non-issue really except all of us in the sky had to circle around, land in other places or come back later. The runway was shut down for at least 10 minutes.

So we flew to the north DFW area over Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Aero Country and north of that in an area I call the North Practice Area. Oh fond memories. :-)

We did some practice turns and practiced traffic avoidance with the navigation system. After a while, Addison opened so we went straight in from the North, landed beautifully, taxied to the hangar and that's where I saw Rusty waiting for me.

My instructor* cut my shirt up, three instructors signed & decorated the shirt tail and tacked it up on their wall. It's going to stay at the flight school a few days for others to see. Call it inspiration to other students and discovery flight visitors.

So what's next??

I will review cross country planning and navigation with Rusty, do an hour of ground time at the school to review, get questions answered, and prepare for my first solo cross country. Before I do a cross country, I'll go up to do maneuvers around the lake area solo. That should be easy enough. Maybe next week if the weather is good I'll go up for maneuvers.

yay!!

*My primary instructor cut a small patch off my shirt then Patrick corrected that and cut a gigantic patch off my back. The giant patch of shirt is at the school. The humble signed patch is in my flight bag and will likely travel with me from now on.

2012-01-11T20:50:00.009-06:00

I am endorsed to solo!!!

*happy dance*

My day went something like this...

Work in the office, leave at 2pm for scheduled flight. I flew out with Stuart, my usual CFI, to do landings, slow flight and emergency landing procedures. We did touch-and-goes at Caddo Mills on 17. That was a fun little runway space. I say space because there's another adjacent runway and a road all making a triangle. It's hardly an airport. My landings were great, my maneuvers were good, and I was on my game in every way. Back at the hangar, I was hoping he would endorse me right there. uh, no. He couldn't (apparently either he's too new of a CFI at this school or... I don't know... that's my only guess) so I turned to Patrick, the owner/manager guy.

Winds will be high tomorrow.
He's out Friday through the weekend.
We don't know the weather for next week yet.

Rather than play it nice and say "oh whenever", or get all bitchy about not knowing Stuart would not be able to endorse me, I jumped in with an enthusiastic "How about right now!?"

"Take 30 minutes and we can do that."

So I apologize to Rusty on the phone that I'm messing up the evening routine, speed through town, take the kids from daycare to home, speed back to the hangar and begin preflighting. At this point, the sun is hanging low and we have a little more than an hour of light. Patrick dumps in some fuel then we shove off with haste. < /speed reading>

My earlier flight was on runway 15 at ADS (17 at Caddo) but the winds changed within the hour so we taxied to 33. Take off was great. Navigation to Mesquite airport was good. I did 4 touch-and-goes.

My landings were all perfect. I got nothing but praise on those from both instructors. My first pattern at Mesquite with Patrick was a bit sloppy (was I nervous, excited, distracted?) but my other patterns were all fine and the last was mah-velous!

In flight as we departed back towards Addison, Patrick signed my logbook & medical certificate endorsing me to fly solo. Normally he would ask me to drop him off, I'd fly around then we'd fly back. But the sun was dropping fast so he stayed in the passenger seat the whole time.

Friday I will go out with Stuart, fly him to Mesquite, he'll jump out and talk to me from the ground while I do a few touch-and-goes. Then he'll cut my shirt. :-)

What does this mean for me?

I can finally get on with my ultimate goal of a pilot's license. I need to do a few cross-country trips solo, I need to practice some maneuvers solo and I need to pass my written exam with the FAA. And flying solo is cheaper than with an instructor so in theory I can fly more frequently.

Free at last!!

(Pictured above: my brand new paper airplane socks that I wore all day with hopes they would be good luck.)

2012-01-04T20:38:00.002-06:00

It was another beautiful day to go up! I launched with my regular instructor, Stuart. We some basic maneuvers (turns, stalls) and slow flight. I hate slow flight because. it's. too. slow.

Then we did some touch and gos at Mesquite. My landings were all fine but my approach was consistently high today. I need to work on that.

Rusty gets his FAA check ride on Friday (followed by libations) then I fly again Saturday afternoon. wippee!

2011-12-29T17:42:00.002-06:00

I will continue to wait until I'm ready and stop expecting anything to go the way I want it to go. After all, a pilot can't exactly control the weather or engine problems in flight.

2011-12-28T23:33:00.002-06:00

I flew again this afternoon hoping (expecting) to earn my second endorsement to solo. Alas, no. Here's why...

I flew my instructor to McKinney Regional. Things were great. I did one landing textbook perfect. The second landing I was a bit high in the pattern and had to drop a lot of altitude on final. My landing was good but the pattern was less than perfect. We intended to mulligan and stay in the pattern but we had to wait forever for the tower to clear us for take-off. (It was a great day to fly so air traffic was busy.) While we were idle for 5+ minutes, my instructor noticed the carburetor head temperature was very hot. It went into the red zone meaning we were overheating. But we weren't moving. That was the weird thing. So we requested to taxi to the mechanic area called "Cutter" to look at things. When we started to taxi, the temp went down.

We called the owner/manager to troubleshoot. Turns out there was a plate installed when temperatures were freezing that helps keep the engine warm when idle. Problem was, it was well above 50 degrees today so it was causing the engine to overheat.

So we popped the cowling off, my instructor removed the plate, and we attempted to put the cowling back on. Another problem: one grommet wouldn't go in. My instructor tried tirelessly, I gave it a good turn, a mechanic tried, I think even a passing pilot who was oogling the airplane might have tried.

My solution: tape!

I found some foil masking tape from another pilot hanging out in the rental office and placed it over the loose grommet. Yes, we fixed our airplane problem with tape. (My friend Lee would be so proud!)

Our flight home to Addison was quiet. I landed us perfectly (again) at Addison. My instructor told the owner he wanted to endorse me but because of the high pattern on my second landing and that we ran out of time to do it over, he couldn't endorse me. But he wanted to.

So I go back tomorrow. This time I'll fly with Patrick, the owner/manager. He's been told verbally by 2 instructors that I'm ready to solo if only I had [insert whatever their reasoning].

Tomorrow I will wear two shirts. And I expect one will get cut on the back.

2011-12-18T20:44:00.002-06:00

I got my first endorsement to solo. yay!! I need one more endorsement and to do some paperwork to really begin solo flights.

The last few flights were all pattern work. Today was my first day up with (yet another) instructor I hadn't flown with before. He was very pleasant to ride with and did a good job quizzing me. I told him I wasn't sure how to use the GPS yet so he handed me a sectional.

"Can you get us to Mesquite with this?"
I smiled, "Why yes I can!"
I found Mesquite just fine, got the AWOS, made my radio calls to the traffic and did 3 touch-and-goes there.
This instructor said I'm real good at short field landings. Go figure- I practiced at a tiny runway called Airpark!

We also practiced emergency landing procedures.

I'll fly again probably after Christmas, hopefully I'll earn my endorsement to fly in and out of Addison, and then I'll really be ready to solo.

And boy do I have some work to do! I know my weaknesses and I'm itching to smooth them out.

2011-12-07T20:49:00.002-06:00

I was supposed to fly at 2pm but the instructor was unavailable so I rescheduled for 4:30pm. Not such a big deal. Except that I worked from 6am to 2pm just to fly in the afternoon. That sucks a little but whatever.

Fast forward- I'm pulling into the street for my flight when what do I see but Mark's van parked in front of his former office space. I caught him as he was pulling out. Rather than being pushy about the $1300 he owes us for classes he had to cancel, I asked him how things were going. I already knew the answer. I already knew what he would say. But I wanted to hear it from him instead of just speculating.

He acknowledged I called and emailed but didn't say why he didn't respond other than that he's "under tremendous stress" and "trying to sort things out". He's no saint. He should have called his students and have been upfront. He should never have used our money to fund his legal battle.

He's personally bankrupt from the legal battle that ultimately bans him from using Airpark as the location for his flight school and plane rental location. Another student of his sued to get his money and another guy went to Mark's house to collect. I was about to do the same but then I wanted to know if Mark was going to be honest. And he was.

I gave him an out. I asked "so what should we do next?" He came up with a solution: he has planes parked out of Airpark that he will let us fly. We have $1300 of rental time to use when we're ready. I won't fly his planes until I'm licensed but I think it's a fair trade. He can't rent flight time but he can allow us to use his planes as a gift. That's legal.

Regarding my flight, we took off at dusk. I did several landings at McKinney Regional, all fine landings, and a very nice landing at Addison. The first half had enough light in the sky to see the ground but the latter half was all dark. I love night landings! I got complimented on my pattern technique (Thanks David!) and was reminded to keep my hand on the throttle more often.

I fly again Saturday morning, and hopefully will get endorsed for solo flights going forward.

2011-11-30T21:02:00.005-06:00

My lunch breaks rock!

I did 4 good landings today in the PiperSport. The instructor didn't have to do much, he wasn't nervous or worried, and he had good critiques to smooth out my pattern and approach.

In addition to landings, we also reviewed power off stalls, slow flight and made some lazy 8's for the fun of it.

After 5 months of slouching off, I have some studying to do. Lucky for me, the weather should be crummy this weekend so I should be able to get some good study time.

******

In other news, Joshua is preparing for a play this Saturday called the Pirates of the Curry Bean. Elliot's new favorite show is Kung Fu Panda, Adventures of Awesomeness, which airs on nickelodeon. This evening he wanted me to capture his new dance moves:

2011-11-28T19:12:00.005-06:00

This is a PiperSport aircraft:

I flew one today. :-D

I logged 1.3 hours of flight during a long lunch break. My takeoff was good, maneuvers were OK (I need to practice turns on a point) and landing was alright considering I hadn't landed in 5 months and I was in an airplane all new to me.

The best part was flying- hands down. I was giddy and nervous and excited. A whole pot of grins.

The second best part was casually letting a colleague know I just flew an airplane during my lunch break. His jaw dropped. "Just now?? You were flying an airplane just now?! Like out there?"

I love that. :-)

This is the airplane before we pulled it out from the hanger and took it out:

2011-11-23T17:19:00.002-06:00

MY MEDICAL CERTIFICATE!!

Apparently my case was reviewed by a LOT of people. My paperwork started at Oklahoma City (OK), then went to Fort Worth, then back to OK, then to Fort Lauderdale, then Washington D.C. then to OK, back to Fort Worth and back to OK. During all this transit my Super AME kept track of it along the way tracking down where it was and who had it.

An hour after I got this lovely piece of paper from my AME, I met with the owner/manager guy at US Sport Aircraft to sign up with them. I will be finishing my license with glass panel, light weight sport aircraft.

Some notable differences compared to the older Cessnas I was flying:

all glass panel dashboard
"joystick" style yoke
2-seater
clam shell opening glass roof IS the door
the craft is practically brand new
wings are below the fuselage
the airplanes are washed routinely

I get to go up Friday morning to meet the instructor and start acclimating to the airplane. yippee!!

2011-11-22T13:13:00.003-06:00

I'm going to get my Medical Certificate!!!!

My Super AME called to say the FAA approved of my case. I'll go to the doc's office tomorrow afternoon to fill out another examination form and then walk out with my certificate.

I am grinning ear to ear!

tr[repeat=happy dance]

Now to get back in the air. Details to follow.

2011-11-02T21:19:00.004-05:00

There is still no update. :-( The Super AME has been traveling instead of processing my paperwork. I've left a message. I'll leave another one tomorrow.

We met a new flight school instructor for Rusty. Lone Star Flyers is a small shop with three instructors and three planes for rent: 2 newer models with glass panel dashboards and one slightly older plane with the dials. I'm very interested in learning the glass panel craft as well as continuing on the older dials. I liken it to driving a standard transmission car (which I have) in that if you're comfy with the manual way (dials), the automatics (glass panels) will be ridiculously easy.

Rusty has probably 2-3 weekends worth of flying time left then he's ready for his check-ride. I, however, have a longer path. For this reason, I'm in no rush now to find a new school or instructor yet. I am in a rush to get my medical but it's out of my hands to make that move faster than the government.

As soon as I get word of when my medical certificate is granted, I will pursue the pleasure of flight every chance I get.

2011-09-21T17:09:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: I saw the tilt table doctor, Dr. Levine, yesterday. He and his nurse did some tests on me. To everyone's no-surprise, nothing happened. I did not faint nor become dizzy. He concluded I'm healthy and unlikely to pass out while flying. He did note that my heart races a bit more than expected when suddenly standing up, but it didn't pose a health concern nor did it indicate an abnormality. It's just my heart somewhat over-compensating for the distance between it and my brain. (Did you know I'm tall?)

He gave me a few tips for overcoming head rushes and dizziness, such as what you'd have when standing up suddenly from a bent over position. He also recommended I take up a physical activity (like rowing or cycling) to build bone density.

I hardly have time for routine exercise, but perhaps I can find a way to squeeze something in.

He's going to send his she's-healthy-already notes to Super AME Dr. Kramer. I'll y'all know what happens next!

2011-09-10T10:14:00.002-05:00

On September 20th I have an appointment with the doctor who has my tilt table test results from a long time ago. He'll do a basic physical exam then send me on my way.

2011-08-23T20:00:00.002-05:00

Update: Super AME Dr. Kramer called to say I don't need a tilt table test anymore (yipee!!) and he'll talk to the cardiologist directly to get something in writing from her (phew!) and that he's confident that we can put all this behind us soon.

My next homework assignment is to have the doctor who did the tilt table test way back when to do a brief physical check up so he can comment on my superbly healthy state.

Bad news: I doubt I'll have my license in time to pilot us to Emily's wedding in Virginia.
Good news: The end (of this mess) is near!

2011-08-19T20:42:00.003-05:00

I am officially not on good terms with my cardiologist.

I worked with a doctor acquaintance I know to draft a letter on behalf of the cardiologist based on her reports since May. I sent a soft copy of the letter on a memory stick so she could edit as she saw fit ,and I asked for her to put it on letterhead and sign it.

Waited 2 days with no response. I called today to see when I could retrieve it. I was informed that she didn't want to sign it but felt an electrophysiologist should sign the letter after an examination.

Oh no you didn't!

I argued that the letter was for HER based on HER report.

"Have you seen Dr. Khan regarding the tilt table test? She feels Dr. Khan would be more appropriate to comment on the syncope-"
"-I disagree!" I butted in, "I think Dr. Agarwal is the ONLY doctor who can comment on the syncope since it's her report to the FAA that was questioned."
"Well, she doesn't... hold on." She goes away for a few minutes then comes back. "Have you scheduled with Dr. Khan yet?"
"Listen, I had a tilt table test done years ago and my doctor is in communication with the doctor who has those files. So no, I do not want to see another doctor, I don't want to pay for unnecessary testing, I just want Dr. Agarawal to sign a letter stating what HER report states, that there's no clinical significance to the syncope or the septal hypokinesis or anything else. She can even edit it before she signs it."
There was a pause then the receptionist said she'd put it back in front of the doctor again.

win.

I was so pissed after that call. I don't get why this doctor is so resistant. I listened to angry loud music and skipped lunch trying to keep busy with other things at work.

I've got a fire of persistence and stubbornness burning. It's going to take legal action to make me stop trying!

2011-08-09T22:20:00.002-05:00

Here's the progress of one week:

the cardiologist to write up a letter - I have the report she sent the FAA (not a letter but maybe it will do)
copies of my physician's notes about my muscle strain in February - got it
copies of "doc in the box" notes about said muscle strain in February - got it
fasting blood lab work - getting it tomorrow
a letter from me stating (again) that I had 2 instances of fainting and I am healthy - got it
a tilt table test with a cardiologist report on the results - I found the researchers who did a tilt table test on me in the past. I'm hopeful this will be sufficient enough. I'm waiting to know from the Super if that's the case. I gave the researcher's information to the AME so my job for this task is done until he advises differently.

That's all the update. I've been studying the PHAK. Sort of. And wishing I could fly. I've also taken to drinking wine in the evening more frequently and junking out. That's what I do when I'm bummed.

Joshua is excited to start first grade in ~12 days. He's begun reading one book at bedtime just about every night this week and last. His favorite series is the Pig and Elephant books. He's also big into Captain Underpants. I've read the first 2 in that series and he's itching for more.

Elliot is excited about bunnies at his school. They're cute little bunnies in cages. Sad really, being caged up to amuse children.

2011-08-02T22:04:00.002-05:00

I saw the Super AME today. He did a brief examination and gave me marching orders to get the FAA to stop focusing on my heart's anomaly that has nothing to do with anything. He says to bring him all the reports listed below and then it should take ~10 days to talk the FAA supervisor into reconsidering my case. I need to get:

the cardiologist to write up a letter regarding my echo and Septal hypokinesis confirming that I am asymptomatic w/ a normal ETT - in progress
copies of my physician's notes about my muscle strain in February - it's coming
copies of "doc in the box" notes about said muscle strain in February - got it
fasting blood lab work - need it
a letter from me stating (again) that I had 2 instances of fainting and I am healthy
a tilt table test with a cardiologist report on the results - *sigh*

This last one almost has me convinced this isn't worth it. My 3 visits to the cardiologist has so far cost me $2500 after insurance. A tilt test probably costs at least $1500. And I doubt my insurance will cover it because I'm asymptomatic.

I can sell blood plasma for $200.

I hate to quit at this point now that I've sunk so much money, energy and effort into getting this far. Yet I'm wondering how far is far enough? Is this worth it?

I could sell some of my eggs for $5000.

I've already contacted 2 doctors to get their medical notes and contacted the nearby hospital to see if they can do a tilt table test. They'll get back to me on availability. Of course I'll be paying the hospital for equipment and the staff and doctor for the procedure and write up. It's a 2 hour appointment with recommendations to have someone drive me home afterwads so I'll likely miss a day of work for this

I could sell a kidney for $70,000.

2011-07-27T19:12:00.003-05:00

I still don't have my medical certificate from the FAA. Here's the drama played out as a skit where conversations have been dramatized.

Last week Thursday. Sarah pecks in a number on her phone while at work.
Me: I'm calling for the status of my medical certificate. Where is it?
Snarky FAA rep: Did you get our letter?
Me: What letter?
FAA: We sent it two weeks ago.
Me: I didn't get it. What did it say?
FAA: It says we didn't get a narrative from your doctor.
Me: What!?!? This is bullshit!
FAA: I can fax the letter to you.
Me: No thanks. I'll call back.
FAA: Please don't.
Sarah hungs up.

Sarah dials her cardiologist's office.
Me: Hi, this is Sarah Nejdl.
Cardiologist receptionist: Hello. How are you?
Me: Not great. The FAA says they still don't have a narrative.
Receptionist: What?!?! That's bullshit!
Me: I know. That's what I said!
Receptionist: When i called last time I showed them where it was, told what it said, I thought this was settled.
Me: Apparently not. Now what?
Receptionist: I can talk to them again.
Me: I would love that.

Sarah calls back the FAA.
Me: My cardiologist says they already sent a narrative. Are you 100% certain you don't have one?
FAA: Yes.
Me: Really? Because she said she spoke to you, told you where it was, all that.
FAA: We have two sentences describing blah blah medical jargon but that's not a narrative.
Me: My cardiologist wants to talk to you again. Can you call her?
FAA: No.
Me: Can she call you?
FAA: We need a fax from you stating we can speak to her about you.
Me: Is this federal red tape? Because she's already spoken to the FAA.
FAA: Yes it is.
Me: *rolls eyes* Fine, I'll send a fax.
FAA: Send it to 405-555-4040
Me: Thanks, I guess.
FAA: Please don't call back.
Sarah hangs up.

Later that day, Sarah sends a fax to the FAA using her neighbor's fax service. She calls her cardiologist's office.
Me: Can you call the FAA? They should be getting a fax.
Receptionist's nurse pal: We'll call in the morning.
Me: No, please call right now.
Pal: We'll call in the morning.
Me: You don't understand! I have zero patience in general and I'm really stressed about this whole situation and the receptionist said she'd call and-
Pal: We'll call in the morning.
Me: I hate you Pal!
Pal: We'll call in the morning. Is there anything else you need?
Me: No.
Pal: Ok! I'm glad I could help you. Bye bye!

The next morning, Sarah is paranoid and calls the FAA to make sure they received the fax.
Me: Hi, this is Me. Did you get a fax I sent yesterday?
FAA: I don't see it on your file so I guess not.
Me: Really? Because I have a fax confirmation that it was received.
FAA: You can try again.
Me: Ok. What's the fax number again?
FAA: 405-555-4300
Me: Ok, I'll send it right now and my cardiologist person will call later today.
FAA: We can't talk to her today.
Me: Why not?!?!?
FAA: It takes 1-3 business days for the fax to be scanned, saved in our vault under a mountain, reviewed by tiny people with huge magnifying glasses, stamped, endorsed, recorded then uploaded to your electronic file where I can see it.
Me: You people suck!
FAA: Have a good day.

Sarah finds the fax confirmation and notes the different number. She thinks maybe this is why they don't have it.
Me: Hi again, this is Sarah Nejdl.
FAA: Uh-huh.
Me: You said to send a fax to 405-555-4040. Is that correct?
Faa: Yes
Me, being sneaky: Is there any chance you can see if it was received?
FAA: Let me check. [There's silence for a moment.] Looks like we did receive something but it isn't scanned in yet.
Me: But you got it!?
FAA: Yes.
Me: Awesome!
FAA: You need to stop calling.
Sarah hangs up.

Sarah calls the cardiologist office.
Me: Hi, it's Sarah Nejdl.
Receptionist: Hi Sarah!
Me: Your call has to wait until Wednesday. It takes up to 3 business days to move a received fax 10 feet across the room from where the FAA rep works.
Receptionist: Oh, bummer. I was going to call.
Me: Thanks anyway.

That evening Sarah voices frustrations to her flight instructors who gives her some advice on how to proceed. On Monday Sarah calls her original doctor who sent the first report to the FAA back in April.
Me: Hi doctor. I'm having problems with the FAA accepting my cardiologist's report. Can you help?
Doctor: No, not really.
Me: Pleeeaase? It would mean the world to me.
Doctor: They won't listen to me. Instead you should get a second opinion. Maybe a different cardiologist will have better results. Have you seen a neurologist?
Me: What?! No. Why??
Doctor: I'm just saying there's something they want to see that your cardiologist hasn't provided. Maybe you can throw money at a few doctors, sign up for expensive testing that's not covered by insurance and see if anything works. Just an idea.
Me: Yeah. Thanks a lot doctor. Have a good one.

After hanging up, Sarah listens to a message from the previous night and scrawls furiously on some scratch paper. She then dials a number.
Me: Hi, is this Steven Kramer's office?
Old lady answers: Yes
Me: I need an appointment. I hear Steve is the best.
Old lady: He is. Will Tuesday be ok?
Me: Perfect.

Minutes later, Sarah's phone rings.
Me: Hello?
Doctor Steven: I heard you're having problems.
Me: Oh man. The FAA really doesn't like me.
Doctor Steven: You sound like a nice person to me.
Me: I am a really nice person! And persistent.
Doctor Steven: Good. Ok, don't worry. We'll sort things out and get you that medical certificate.
Me: You're awesome.
Doctor Steven: I know. See you Tuesday.
Me: Thanks!!

Sarah hangs up the call and smiles. She enters the appointment on her Google calendar to then texts her hubby so he'll know what's going on.
Rusty: What will it cost?
Me: I don't know and I don't care. I'm all about getting things my way as fast as possible.
Rusty: Sounds reasonable. Great!

The curtain draws on the Act One. The audience takes an intermission until Sarah and Rusty return from Colorado.

2011-07-17T21:54:00.007-05:00

Today I did practice landings at Northwest again. Five landings total, all were great. Well ok, there was that one somewhat rough landing where I flared a bit too much at the very end. My take-offs were good too. I had strong crosswinds of about 17 mph.

My instructor is just about out of things to do with me until my medical license comes in. Once THAT comes in, then I'll be able to do solo flight time to practice maneuvers, tower calls, landings, etc. I have another cross country flight to do and another night flight. I don't know when my medical will come in. Until then, I'll study for the written exam and read the parts of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge that I've missed or haven't visited in a while.

Below is a picture of a propeller that struck the ground. I don't know the story of what happened (obviously I didn't do it or y'all would have known by now!) but some are guessing a bad landing on a single engine plane (like a Piper or Bonanza), or a broken landing gear of a twin engine plane or maybe someone actually bought/brought back this lovely mess just for looks. Whatever the reason, it's a great visual reminder for me to take safety seriously and keep the nose up on landing!

2011-07-12T00:46:00.005-05:00

My instructor was right, night flying is really neat! And way less hot. For anyone else planning to land at Air Park, here's a tip: the runway lights will turn on if you click the mike ~7 times and hold each click a half second. So not too fast. We had to do a go-around to get the lights to finally turn on. It was unnerving to get down lower than 1,000 feet with the lights still off.

Another tip: make sure your windshield is clean during the pre-flight check. Left over watery iced latte is not recommended to clean the windshield. :-) Having a clean windshield makes night vision a bit better.

Instrumentation practice paid off in this lesson. I really had to trust my instruments more then any other lesson. Lowering the nose for a landing didn't look or feel the same as in the day so I had to focus more on my altitude indicator for a reliable judgement.

We did pattern take-offs and landings at a small strip called Northwest which is, heh, northwest of the metroplex. My landings were survivable but not inspiring. I was happy with only one landing. The others were rough.

We also toured DFW airport flying over it at 3500 feet. In the above picture, you can see DFW runway as the strip of lights with red at one end in the middle of a large dark area, sort of middle of the picture. If we had had enough fuel at the beginning of the lesson (damn the man who didn't fill the tank!), the original plan was to practice landings at Lovefield. I'm real disappointed that it didn't work out. Maybe next time!

No more flying this week or weekend. I have ground time on Saturday then wait my turn again next week to fly.

2011-07-10T21:05:00.006-05:00

I flew my first cross country today. I charted my course towards Bridgeport, TX but enroute we discovered the Bridgeport runway was closed so we flew 15 miles West to Jacksboro. This was my first flight that required a sectional (essentially a sky map), calculating wind direction to get my heading right, and flight details to be worked up in advance. There was a 10+knot crosswind that kept pushing me off my course. And the plane I was in, a Cessna 172, kept wanting to ascend or descend, but wouldn't faithfully stay level.

One thing I learned today: don't forget to pack a drink!!

I also learned how to get my bearings using VOR signals, doing the 4 C's (Confess you're lost, Climb up to get perspective & radio signals, Circle around, Call in for help), and by recognizing land markings in relation to the sectional. The sectional doesn't have minor roads and farms and housing communities that you can easily see. Instead you have to look for lakes, cities, tower structures, and major roads.

Neither of my landings were great today. Actually, my touch downs were fine but my approach both times sucked. Both times I came in too high. At Jacksboro I had a bit of lake effect right at the edge of the runway. At Air Park I was tired and my timing to slow the craft was off.

Yesterday I also flew. I did instrumentation training and looked for VOR signals. It was boring and frustrating. I couldn't get my heading right to pick up the signal- there was a delay in getting the signal. I also flew "under the hood" which means I wear "foggles". This prevents me from seeing outside. I'm supposed to only focus on instruments. I'm ok at it but I prefer to see where I'm going. I don't plan to fly into fog, eh, ever. If I can safely avoid it. :-)

BTW, that's not me to the right.

Tomorrow I do my first night flying lesson! I'm little excited and lot of nervous about this. I have a fear of not seeing where I'm going. This is true of walking across a room at night. Much more so hurdling through the air at 100 miles per hour merely a couple thousand feet up. My lesson time is from 8:30pm to midnight. I'll probably nap and get some coffee before my session. After tomorrow, I'll have over 22 hours. More than half way!!

Last update: FAA medical. I was denied my medical, briefly technically. They sent a letter that said I was denied because I failed to provide requested materials. I called the cardiologist office to confirm everything was sent. Yes, it was. Long story short, the cardiologist receptionist ended up calling the FAA medical line directly to show them what page the narrative was on (the summary that explains the lengthy 40 page clinical report) and the FAA has reopened my request. I will not be denied! so easily. this time. So now I wait (again) for the FAA to accept that I'm healthy and fit to fly.

2011-06-22T19:33:00.002-05:00

Here's the cockpit of the C172 Skyhawk I flew recently with labels added.

2011-06-21T08:48:00.002-05:00

My last flight was Saturday. The plan was to fly north to Sherman, TX for practice landings. Our preflight ATIS had wind gusts of 23 mph. The takeoff was scary. A wind gust tipped us upward abruptly causing a stall signal and a swear word or two. The instructor recovered us quickly, thank goodness! On the leg out from Airpark my headset couldn't hear the tower. My instructor had to be my ears. Enroute, we got ATIS from Sherman with wind gusts of 35 mph. My instructor called off practice plans so we headed back. Landing was a bit scary too. The instructor did the landing.

What I learned: get weather info of the destination before takeoff.

I can't fly during the weekdays for 2 weeks while Elliot takes swim classes. I'm good with this. I need review and reading time.

2011-06-07T20:56:00.003-05:00

I'm alive!!

I landed the plane 4 times today. Twice it was "oh shit oh shit!!!", twice it was damn near perfect. That's a wide range of what to expect but the point is I CAN land an airplane. YES! Now I just need to practice doing it well more often. :-D

I fly again Thursday with a bit more time to do stuff so we may go to McKinney or North West Airport to practice landing there.

In other news, we met with our family counselor on Monday and received instructions to make a very sharp left turn during the weekend. We'll be turning things upside for Joshua, turning things up for Elliot, and trying to hold it all together with toys, suckers, praise and "the treatment". We won't be going out to public places this weekend unless no one else is expected to be there. Hopefully the intervention will only last a day, maybe two. There's always Sunday if we need it. I'll provide details later.

It's Tuesday and it already feels like my week is almost over.

2011-06-05T22:32:00.002-05:00

3 takeoffs - I'm good. I got that down.

3 landings- my first landing was perfect! Even the instructor was impressed that I nailed it on my first attempt today. 2nd & 3rd landings were rough and not graceful. But we walked away so it was still a success!

I also learned today that Cirrus flyers are THOSE types of flyers. Apparently they are entitled to a right-of-way that the rest of us did not earn.

2011-06-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

Today we practiced power-off stalls and S-curves. We went over far north Frisco for most of the practice. The power-off stalls were done at 3,500 feet.

Here's the scenario: suppose you're going in for a landing and you realize you're too low so you pull the nose up to get lift without adding power. Let's suppose you know nothing about flight (like me right know) and panic and pull too hard. That could cause a stall. The craft will give a warning sound then will drop the nose. To recover, you apply full power, raise the nose up a little, put the flaps to 10 degrees and fly around to try again.

I was ok at stall recovery. My error was I kept retracting the flaps all the way which made it hard to gain lift.

Next we did S-turns over a few roads. My first couple of attempts were off in my timing. I either straightened up before my target or I overshot my target. My last go-round was perfect though! The instructor said it was spot on. yay me!

Then we came in for landing. I did the landing. We survived. But it wasn't pretty. I didn't pull the nose up far enough. The instructor said I was looking at the approaching ground instead of the end of the runway. He took controls at the very end literally 5 feet from the ground.

Tomorrow we'll practice landing at McKinney Regional. I'm nervous and excited.

2011-05-30T21:06:00.003-05:00

Today was another good flight. I did take off again, practiced turns and did the landing. That's right. I survived my first landing - yay! It wasn't graceful nor smooth, but nothing broke, nobody got hurt, and I did as expected for a first landing, says the instructor.

As my grandfather said, "Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing."

It was windy today when I flew. Winds were gusting up to 23 knots so things were a little bumpy. I was very happy to be flying. Yesterday it was too windy (gusts ~ 30 knots) so we did ground time, which is nice and all, but I'd rather be flying. Yesterday I learned a bit more about the instruments.

Unfortunately I don't get to fly again until next weekend.

In other news on the home front, our counselor sessions are going well. This week we're supposed to argue in front of the kids, give them lots of affirmation and I'm supposed to stop repeating directions. We stink at real arguments so Rusty picked a fight with me over a sock that landed on the floor during laundry time. After our first argument, Joshua told us to knock it off. Meanwhile I was laughing.

We had our own experiment this evening. Joshua was being his usual bossy self towards his brother so we told him if he was going to be bossy he would have to be Daddy Josh and take care of Elliot the whole evening. He took us up on the deal. He served Elliot his dinner, helped him through the dinner, cleaned up afterwards, put his brother in time out*, washed his hair in the bath and got him out of the tub. Shortly after that Daddy Josh lost focus and interest. He just wanted to be a brother again.

Lesson: Don't act like a parent unless you're up for the job.

*Time out was issued for spitting at Josh. We all agreed that was bad behavior.

2011-05-26T18:37:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Josh's 6th birthday!

We quietly celebrated at home with a few balloons, sushi for dinner (his choice), root beer and cupcakes at the end. His first gift from us was an acoustic guitar. He was thrilled and thanked us several times.

Saturday is the birthday party but I'm worried there will be a lower turn out than we were hoping for. As usual, it's on a 3 day weekend when people plan to leave town and some of Josh's friends since babies are also doing birthday stuff.

Regardless of turn out, I'm sure Josh will have a good time. Mentos & Diet Coke anyone? :-)

2011-05-25T15:48:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's flight was totally awesome!

I did take-off, flew us up to ~3500 feet, we did stall recovery and I helped get us close to landing. There were storms nearby yesterday to the west of us. I could see cloud lightning ahead. I wasn't nervous about lightning strikes, I was more concerned about the turbulence after take-off and on landing approach. It was a very bumpy ride. Which made it FUN!

On approach for landing we had a downdraft push us down a bit. We weren't in danger but it was a bit nerve wracking for the instructor. He scrambled to regain control of the plane. We landed just fine without needing flaps because the wind was so high.

I saw small improvements in everything I was unsure of from the last few lessons. Pre-flight checks, I'm good at that. Take-off, give me some practice. Turns, I'm better. Ascending/descending, I'm good. Stalls, give me some practice. Landing, not there yet. And taxi-ing was not too shabby this time. :-)

Something to add to my pilot's bag: rubber bands and hair clamps for windy days.

2011-05-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

My turns are getting better. My taxi-ing was better last time. Talking to the tower was less amusing than last time. My last flight felt like a slight improvement. There's still tons I'm not sure about, but that will all come in time.

My last flight was about slow flight. We pulled the throttle way out to 1700 RPMs, angled the nose up, and brought out the flaps. It was weird flying slow. I prefer fast to be honest.

In home news, Joshua's birthday is this week. We've got a few plans including cookies for his classroom, special dinner throughout the week and plans for his birthday party this weekend.

Also we are talking to a counselor to get ideas for Joshua's focus issues at school. It will be a family effort, not just for Mr. Joshua. This week's homework assignment: Rusty & I are to play a game among ourselves in front of the kids but not be engaged in the kids, and we are to sing to one another at random intervals in front of the kids. This evening I made up a diddly about reading bedtime books and got my Liza on. The boys were stopped in their tracks. The idea is to show the kids we can spend time together and they aren't always the center of our attention, and to disrupt the daily routine.

2011-05-18T21:14:00.002-05:00

I got a letter from the FAA. They want more information about the fainting and dizziness. So I typed up a nice one-page letter with details.

Hopefully they'll agree that I'm fine to fly. I'll keep ya posted.

I went up yesterday and practiced turns. We did gentle turns and steep turns. I'm much better at steep turns. I practically manhandle the craft by the way the instructor kept saying to ease up and "do half of what you think you need to do."

We also practiced taxi-ing. I still suck at that but I'm getting slightly better. I was also encouraged to talk to the control tower at Addison. It went about like this:

Instructor: Tell them WXYZ
Me: OK
Instructor: Good ahead
Me: What was X?
Instructor repeats it
Me: Oh yeah ok
Instructor: Go ahead
Me: I forgot Y
Instructor repeats WXYZ
Me: WXY... what was Z again?
Instructor repeats WXYZ
Me: Ok
Instructor: Good ahead
Me: "Airpark, I mean Addison, this is 8684Gulf, uh... Airpark, uh..."
Tower: 8684Gulf repeat your call
Instructor tells the tower WXYZ
Tower: Thank you

I should read this: www.austincollins.com/aveg4.pdf

2011-05-16T21:03:00.002-05:00

I ordered my own aviation headset. Of course it's blue!

2011-05-15T13:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my first flight! I logged 1.2 hours in my pilot log book. The instructor did take-off and landing. I got to practice basic controls like turning, ascending/descending, and changing direction. My weaknesses include trimming, taxi-ing and motion sickness towards the end. I'm told the latter problem will go away in time.

My instructor said I was too controlling of the plane. I was constantly trying to adjust the wings, and rudders to get the plane "just right" where the horizon lined up on a marker drawn on the windshield. We flew near our home in Carrollton & over the NW Frisco area along the tollway and farm area to the west of the tollway.

Take-off seemed much easier than I thought it would be. Landing however seems more complicated. All in all, it was good flight despite I was woozy afterwards.

There is a lot to learn still regarding coordinating basic controls. Only 38.8 hours to go!

2011-05-13T21:40:00.005-05:00

I read my old diary this week which spanned from 1994 to 1997. For three years of dates, the book was only half filled. It was very amusing and interesting to re-read my history. There were a few details I had forgotten. I started out writing nearly daily in 1994, or at least once every few days, then interest waned over time and then I checked in every few months or so.

Kind of like this blog!

wow some things never change

anywho... Tomorrow is a double-date for flying. Rusty is scheduled to go up 11-2 and I'm scheduled 3-5. If I don't get to fly, I may cry. (I didn't mean to be poetic) I don't foresee any stalls (a pun!) this time since weather should be clear. According to wunderground, it' s supposed to be clear, 72 and PERFECT! :-)

On Thursday, when I did 2.7 hours of ground time instead of flying, I was presented with tons of engine terminology and aerodynamic concepts. I bookmarked the Pilot's Handbook from the FAA website. Speaking of, I should study now.

2011-05-08T21:11:00.008-05:00

We did a "discovery" flight yesterday in the C172 and got the first hour of ground time. There are several flight terms I need to learn more about, and a few concepts I had already read up on. Since it was Rusty & I together we shared the ground lessons but only one of us could pilot the first leg.

I nominated Rusty to be the first one to go. I'm already ramped up and eager to get this going.

The instructor did take-off and landing. Rusty was in control for the most part though. We did some turns, some figure 8's, went down, went up, we did a tight nearly 2G turn, and even experimented with a stall. I was in the backseat the whole time but without a headset, I missed the lesson because I couldn't hear anything.

I took lots of pictures not only to share on my blog but also to serve as a visual aid for learning. According to Rusty, it's busy work making the airplane do stuff. There are foot pedals, knobs to pull out, and of course the yoke.
Lessons I learned aside from pre-flight checks and some basic ground lesson concepts: don't wear a skirt because you can't check the fuel without flashing someone and wear your hair back if you have gobs of it like me. Taking a water bottle isn't a bad idea either. My first flight will be Thursday in the plane pictured below.

2011-05-06T19:01:00.005-05:00

Paid and scheduled. We start tomorrow meeting our instructor, going up in a "discovery flight" in the C172 and do our first hour of ground time!

2011-05-05T22:52:00.005-05:00

After a stress test and a nuclear stress test, the cardiologist finally declared my heart to be perfectly fine and healthy. I consider the 2 appointments to be a waste of time. I could have told them I was fit.

Appointment #1: Cardiologist has my heart sonogramed at rest. She notices my heart has a tiny delay between pumps when I'm at rest. It's a miniscule delay that causes a few funky ripples in the electrocardiogram. (or is that -graph?) Then she makes me work on the treadmill for 12 minutes then sonograms my heart again. When I'm not at rest, everything pumps normal and as expected. I have a long heart with thin walls. Tall and thin, story of my life. She believes I'm healthy and that there's probably nothing wrong with me but doesn't have an explanation as to why there's a delay between beats. She recommends I come back for further testing in order to see if there are any issues with blood flow. I protest but she wins.

Appointment #2: Cardiologist sends me to a new room where her echo tech guy pumps radioactive iodine and saline into my arm. I lay on a table for 15 minutes while a machine takes blood flow images of my heart. I snooze briefly while I'm there. Next I'm shuffled to another room to work on the treadmill again. No sonogram this time, just the electrocardiogram/graph. After a short rest, it's back to the machine again for another image of my heart beating a bit faster. I snooze again on the table. At the end of my appointment, the cardiologist shows me pictures of my blood flow from the machine. She affirms I'm healthy and still doesn't have an explanation for the tiny delay but decides it doesn't matter since everything is working well. No holes, no leaks, no clogs, no mummers, no reason to delay my medical exam certificate!

woo-hoo!

Tomorrow I write a check and schedule our first class.

This morning on my way to the appointment, since I had time to kill, I snapped this picture a few blocks from Dallas Air Park:

(Stinson is my maiden name)

2011-04-29T17:32:00.002-05:00

Today was my Aviation Medical Exam. I was expecting to walk out with a certificate that would allow me to get a license after training. But no. I disclosed that at some time in my life I had fainted. To clarify, I have fainted 2 notable times in the last three years and I am prone to the occasional head rush when going from a crouched position to suddenly rising. And who doesn't do that from time to time?

So here's the deal on fainting.

2007 - I fainted after lots of blood loss following Elliot's birth
2011 - I fainted after taking a Vicodin for muscle pain (that was a fun day)

That's it. Perfectly reasonable, right?

Anywho, the doctor who examined me today advises I go to a cardiologist to make certain that my 'history" of dizziness and fainting aren't symptoms of a heart condition. *sigh*

My appoinmtent with the cardiologist on Thursday should put an end to this roadblock.

2011-04-28T20:54:00.005-05:00

Sitter: confirmed!
Cash: moved!
Living Trust/Will: in progress... but coming!
Time: scheduled!
Medical Exam: check!

Am I ready? Does a watched pot eventually boil?

2011-04-20T21:51:00.002-05:00

Why must the only Airline Medical Examiner under $50 be so darn far away?

I possibly have a sitter for the weekdays and we're still on track for May. yippee!

2011-04-14T21:18:00.004-05:00

Since I've begun reading about concepts of flying, I've been obsessed. For the first time in many, many months, I did not want to be at work. I wanted to read more of my book, go back to the school, throw money at the instructors and just start things already!

Alas, no. Patience grasshopper.

First we need a physical. And schedule someone to watch kids for a couple hours routinely. And move some money around to short-term finance this. And finish updating our will. THEN, likely in May we'll be able to officially begin.

At work today I fantasized about getting in some flight time during a lunch break. How cool would that be to leave on lunch break, fly around a bit with your instructor, log your time, then return to the office to finish the tasks and projects.

"What did you do for lunch?"
"I went to Lenny's for a sandwich. And you?"
"I flew around Tyler, TX then came back. The landing was rocky because of wind, but I was alright."
"Aren't you hungry?"
"Nope."

yeah, it was something like that.

Anyway, I am really looking forward to this. It makes me nervous as hell and excites me all the same. That sort of entertainment doesn't come easy these days. I need to enjoy it while I've got it.

No news on the home front. All is stable and with forward momentum. :-)

2011-04-13T17:05:00.003-05:00

My new book arrived!

Thanks Grandpa!

copyright 1944 - oh yeah

2011-04-11T21:48:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since my last post. Life distracted me. I'm still happily working at FXCM. Rusty is still at Bank of America*. Elliot is at a great daycare near home. Joshua is nearing the end of Kindergarten. Our new cat Isaac gets along very well with Merlin. All is ducky.

*Rusty recently got a new job within BoA which came with a pay raise. We're taking a portion of the raise and some of our spare time to learn to fly. Below is a Cessna 172 similar to what we'll be flying:

We'll start in May and I'll keep to keep y'all posted. Oh yeah, and we still do websites. We have 2 sites in the works plus one more project on the way to spruce up this one: www.dallasairpark.com

Pardon the blog template, it's new and in need of some tweaks.

2010-11-14T20:48:00.004-06:00

Elliot turns three on Wednesday but we celebrated today!

Rusty was able to snag a great deal on a huge inflatable bounce house. That was the highlight of the party. Elliot was very excited to have the bounce house and friends over to play. The homemade cake was delicious and darn-near devoured. We opened some present after cake per a departing Grandma, then another at the end of the party then most of the rest after bath time. His favorite gift so far: posable Wall-E!

Elliot has become such a delightful lil' dude. He's very articulate, very observant, caring and easy to be with. He has opinions he's willing to share as well as his suckers. He's now learning to test boundaries and establish his independence. Sometimes he'll get this adorable mischievous look that says "I know you don't like this but I'm doing to do it anyway with a smile". He defends against his brother yet plays well with his friends. Our charming guy is a blessing to be around and I am so glad I get to watch him grow up!

2010-11-13T20:45:00.004-06:00

We now own a dog. As of 10am this morning. Meet Duggan:

Duggan ran away from home a few days ago and wound up on a neighbor's doorstep. She posted signs in our neighborhood advertising that this dog was found, and emails circulated. No one came forward. That neighbor had 2 dogs already and they weren't compatible so the dog was passed to another neighbor. But it turns out the wife was allergic. We then took the dog for the day to relieve the neighbor with allergies. The idea was that we'd hold him until the owners were found.

The boys liked this dog right away. Merlin wasted no time in establishing who's boss of the house (obviously the cat). We originally called him Max because that was the name used by the previous two neighbors. I was more or less on the fence and was quickly outvoted when Rusty warmed to him within minutes. Rusty lit up to have a dog who would sit on command (he sometimes does) and who would follow him around. We went on two walks which were actually vigorous runs. We also invested in chew toys and a couple bones. Then just before dinner, the inevitable happened.

Joshua opened the front door and the dog sprinted out!

He was out like a bullet! I followed him cautiously so as to not encourage a game of chase, but the dog sprinted around an alley corner then was gone from sight. I waited a minute listening and waiting to hear or see something, a clue of where the dog had gone. Just when I was about to give up, I saw him loop behind someone's house. I sprinted up to find he had been put into an oversized dog cage with two other dogs and young couple calling him"Duggan". I approached asking if this was their dog, which was a silly question because they had a name and acted like they knew him but I didn't know how else to start the conversation. Next time I'll say something more intelligent. Anyway, they said he got loose a few days ago which matched the timing of how long he has spent with our neighbors.

Turns out, he's a purebred Brittany, a type of French Spaniel. He's very quiet but very active. We haven't heard him bark at all yet. He's 8 years old and has a son. He's been on hunting trips but apparently he's the lazy one who, after an hour, waits in the truck for the others to return. He's been an outside dog but he also really likes to be inside and is generally well behaved.

Now that the owners had him back, I almost said good-bye and left it at that. But I didn't. I infomed them that he had been well cared for by three homes, and was currently very entertaining to our sons. An older woman came out (the mother of one of the young couple) and said if we wanted to adopt him that we could. I was cautious not to be trapped as it seemed almost too good to be true but this legitimately good dog was indeed in need of a home that could give him more. His current home has about 6 dogs and no one was avilable to take them on walks. He had been around kids in the past but now the kids were all grown up an moved out. So the woman said we could keep him. Just like that. I returned with the family less than hour later to thank them and ask a few more questions, like who was his vet.

And that's how we ended up with Duggan, who also goes by Max.

2010-10-02T14:10:00.002-05:00

Joshua got five days of smileys from his teacher this past week. That was a huge improvement from 4 weeks of getting in trouble.

Elliot refuses to be potty trained. He has no interest in it all. Even with colorful character undies, he's just not interested in going to the potty. I have a feeling if he was interested he would catch on quickly. Even bribery doesn't appeal. :-/

Now that it's October I'm anxious to decorate the house.

2010-09-28T21:27:00.002-05:00

Brief update: Joshua went to an ADHD specialist on Monday to re-evaluate her original assessment of where he is within the definition of normal and what our options where in regards to medicine. We had stepped up Intuniv by this point. She prescribed a very low dosage of Ritalin. He's taking 1/4 of the dosage available for his size. In other words, we're starting on a very small a dosage to see some improvement on focus, attention and impulsiveness.

To offer positive re-enforcement, we're giving him a new silly band everyday he comes home with a "smiley" from his teacher. If he gets remarks about bad behavior like hitting or being disruptive then he has to talk to us about it and he gets no reward.

Per Donna Bateman's advice, we are also further cutting the sugar intake and switching to gluten-free products such as breads, pasta, cereal, soup, etc. Hunt's ketchup does not have gluten as a thickening agent and they offer a corn syrup free recipe- even better!! No more juices either. It's water and milk in our house. Luckily the boys LOVE soymilk and almond milk so we mix that in with cow's milk and they like that better than juice anyway.

Today: he got a smiley from his teacher and a silly band from his dad. :-)

2010-09-24T21:14:00.003-05:00

Joshua is in trouble at school, thus at home this weekend too. He's been in trouble twice this week for the same problems he had in preschool. He's hit, kicked, punched and now poked with a pencil. Part of the reason is his impulsiveness. Sometimes he acts without thinking, as in his body moves before his brain can filter what his actions should be. Other times, like the kick and punch incident, he's defending himself with hurtful actions instead of walking away or using his words. I feel like we're regressed to 2 years old ago: "use your words."

He's been to the principle twice now. We're stepping up our game by making some small changes in the home, small changes to routine, having a zero tolerance for some actions such as hurtful actions, not listening, whining, and back-talk. And we're going to talk to an ADHD specialist about medication to improve better blood flow to his brain so he can focus and calm down. I'm also going to look into reflexology techniques.

I already told him he would lose Halloween trick-or-treating if he got into trouble again. Unfortunately for him, I said that this morning before he went to school- before he got into trouble a second time. As it stands, he won't be dressing up nor collecting candy.

2010-09-13T21:02:00.002-05:00

Joshua now wears glasses! He picked out his own frames several weeks ago. He hasn't gotten the idea that glasses are sort of a "always" thing. We're still talking about when to wear them and when to take the off. He had the impression he could wear then when he felt like it, like a toy item. Little does he know he may have shortsighted vision for the rest of is life until he gets them zapped by a LASIK surgeon like me. :-D

2010-09-12T22:08:00.002-05:00

It was a busy week last week! Last week Friday we planned to leave town for Lubbock to visit my mom for the weekend. To be random, we kept Elliot at home with us for the day. I really enjoyed my lil' dude's company! He was a charm and a helper, and he was so happy to have the attention of both parents without a competing big brother.

After a good breakfast, our first order of business was a vet appointment for Samson. He was out all day Thursday which wouldn't be a big deal for a normal, even somewhat healthy cat. But this was the tipping point for Samson. He was again emaciated, dehydrated, and lethargic. I was worried we would need to put him to sleep if he didn't perk up by Friday. Alas, he was not showing signs of improving. His kidneys just weren't keeping up and previous attempts to save him with medication and liquid injections weren't having a impact. We said our teary good-byes and left him at the vet to be put to sleep.

Life had to go on for us. We packed up and cleaned up, ran errands and filled up the car. When school was out, we got Josh then hit the road. An hour later in traffic, we left the DFW metroplex on 380 towards Lubbock.

- - -

My mom is well. She's now in a rented home across from another cop. Her dog Lance is about the size of a pony. He was thrilled to have the boys around even though he's an old dog who can't fetch as much as he used to. We took the boys to a few local favorites: Maxey Park, Science Spectrum, Joyland.

Joyland is an amusement park in the north-eastern side of town. It isn't Six Flags, but it's fun enough for bored tweens and young kids. Joshua rode his first adult size roller coaster- and LOVED it! Elliot rode the huge swinging rocket and freaked out the first time but then decided to ride again and was totally cool with it the second time. Joshua's other favorite ride was the spider. Elliot loved his toddler sized roller coaster and the merry-go-round. And both were equally disappointed in the train ride. We came home to filthy boys who talked non-stop about the rides. The next evening was spent with Raymond and a couple of his friends. That was an interesting night too.

Both boys had minor medical issue on the trip: Elliot had hives, Joshua got diarrhea. Bt these setbacks didn't ruin the trip. This week both boys have requested, loudly, to go see Grandma Cindy again. I've explained that we need a fast airplane and more long weekends. I'm glad we all had a great time.

- - -

Yesterday we buried Samson's ashes in the yard behind the kids' playset. I found a sleeping lion statuette as a marker. Joshua participated in the memorial by placing the box in the ground and adding one of his cat toys on top of the box. While the dirt was being filled in, he finally cried. He hugged me and talked about how he'll miss Samson. It was closure we needed as well as practice about memorials for when loved ones die. Merlin is healthy but entering his elderly cat stage. He's now about 16 years old or so. When his time comes, he has a spot right next to his best friend Samson. Hopefully that won't be for a few more years to come.

2010-08-23T18:26:00.006-05:00

Joshua loved his first day of kindergarten.

For Josh's first day, he woke up before the alarm, got fully dressed and wanted to go before it was even 7am. We explained that it was too early and he needed to wait. After I took Elliot to dayschool as usual, Rusty and I walked with Josh to school. The closer we got, the faster he walked until he sprinted ahead. When the doors opened, he was the very first kid to walk down the kindergarten hallway near the entrance. I was doing great until he gave me a good-bye hug and a kiss. Then I got teary and had to walk out quickly. We eventually found other parents gathered in the library chatting, eating doughnut holes, and drinking OJ and coffee. Most of the parents were neighbors. After all that, Rusty & I walked home together.

Joshua was so excited at the end of the day, he wore his backpack at home until we convinced him to take it off for dinner.

In other news, we decided that we're not ready to give up on Samson yet. Instead we're going to wait a couple of weeks to give him more time to either naturally recover, or further degrade before we put him down. He's showing signs of betterment although he's not healthy. Below is Samson enjoying some canned chicken.

2010-08-22T18:23:00.004-05:00

Supplies- check!
Backpack- check!
Haircut- check!
New shoes- check!
Eagerness to start- double check!!

Yes, Joshua has been looking forward to starting kindergarten since May. We met his teacher and checked out the room on Friday. His best-friend Dylan will also be in his room and they will share a locker together. Luckily, thy won't be at the same table otherwise they would no-doubt be constantly distracted. His teacher is young but not fresh-out-of-college so I'm assured he'll get a good start.

So here's the morning drill: get up and dressed asap, take Elliot to dayschool as normal, rush back then walk with Josh (and Rusty) to school. Get him in the class, say our good-byes then head to the school cafeteria for coffee, donuts and commiseration with other parents. Walk home with Rusty and enjoy the rest of the day to its fullest. When school lets out we'll meet him at the playground and walk home together. Rusty intends to walk with Josh for the first couple of weeks, at least in the mornings.

I remember walking to school for kindergarten. I believe this is where my love of walking started. I remember passing the around-the-corner neighbor's house with labeled plants, the old lady's house that had a garden of flowers and cotton, the house with a ton of trees in the front yard, the shops at the intersection one block from school, and the huge trees that lined the school yard. I remember playing in front of the house before the school opened, running down a hill after school (and getting in trouble for doing it), for following a group of kids trying to friend them despite their disinterest in hooking up with a pee-wee of a kindergartner. I remember fresh cool air, racing to see if I was faster than the other day, and daring to turn one street early and cutting over on another street. I don't know what adventures Joshua will have on his walks. But I'm glad he'll have the same walking-to-school types of memories as I had. Hopefully these will shape him in some positive way.

Taken last week during a brief rain.

2010-08-19T20:45:00.002-05:00

I was doing great today until I returned a call from the vet's office.

Three weeks ago near end of July I realized Samson was missing. He normally sleeps with us at night and follows me to the bathroom in the morning. But on July 29th I realized he had been missing. For at least a day. I didn't think too much of it. "He's probably been outside all night." I told Rusty to keep an eye out as I left for work. Later, Rusty called to say he found Samson in the house. In Rusty style, he bathed our cats (He had planned to do it anyway) and realized something was really wrong. Samson was lethargic, complacent and lanky. His kitty eyes were sunken in. He was bone thin. He was so weak he couldn't walk more than a few steps. He had found a quiet corner in the house to lie quietly and die.

Well, until Rusty found him and bathed him in the kitchen sink.

The next day we (eh, Rusty) took him to the vet. Samson's organs were shutting down. His kidney was shrunk, his pancreas smaller, body temp was cold, he was anemic, and dehydrated. He hadn't eaten or drank in probably days. He was put on pain kilers, antibiotics, electrolytes, an IV and monitored for two days. He seemed to be doing ok. We cared for him at home giving him medicine daily.

Until the second blood work reported that all the treatments- medication, electrolytes, IV- weren't showing any real improvement. His kidneys aren't responding, he's still anemic, his red blood cell count is low, and he's still not gaining weight. He's basically one illness away from death. He can't get up onto a chair, he has to be picked up. He can go up and down the stairs but not quickly.

After this prognosis, the vet and I agreed he was never going to fully recover. We don't know exactly what has caused all this. Poisoned plant? Cancer? Rather than subject him to unpleasant medication for the rest of his life and constant vet bills, rather than spending his days under daily care and close supervision, rather than have him in pain and limited in his abilities, it's better to just say good-bye.

So on Tuesday morning, we'll take him to the vet one last time.

What to do with the remains is undecided. Part of me wants to let the kids bury him as a rite of passage in facing death. But then again, maybe that will be more complicated than I'm prepared to take on.

2010-08-16T21:20:00.003-05:00

Slices of Life

Josh: I can jump-rope. Watch this. -he tries a few times getting his rope caught on his feet-
Girl (about 8 years old): Can I try it? -girl jump-ropes fast, then on one foot, then cross arm, then skipping, then dancing, then backwards, then 2 rotations with one jump-
Josh: Wow. I can run really fast. Watch this. -runs off to playground-

Elliot: Mom! Mom! Mom! I can turn off the bathroom light!
Me: Really?? Show me how you do this. (I'm genuinely baffled)
Elliot: Ok! -stands on toilet seat then reaches over to switch off the light- See?
Me: You are so smart to figure that out!
Elliot: Yeah!

Josh: ELLIOT YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!!!
Elliot: -ignores brother-
Josh: FINE! THEN I WON'T TALK TO YOU!
Elliot: -ignores brother-
Josh: Mom! Elliot won't do what I tell him to do!
Me: Work it out. Better yet, do something without your brother.
Elliot: I want to be with Josh.

Me: Are you my big boy?
grumpy Elliot: No. Yes I am!

2010-07-27T19:36:00.005-05:00

We got a bike!

All evening I've been thinking about Pink Floyd:

I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it

Today we finished assembly, test rode it, tweaked & tightened stuff and now we're anxious to give it another go. We found it online for a great price: under $350 including shipping & tax. It folds too. That will allow us to transport and hang it in the garage. Of course now we need to buy a few accessories like a bike rack for the car and a child bike tow bar.

And now we need to get rid of Rusty's old bike that he's held on to forever.

It's my night to read to the boy's for bedtime. I'll be sure to sing this song:

Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a fancy marriage,
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two!

2010-07-24T17:18:00.008-05:00

Yeah ok, so it’s been 77 days since my last post. I’m not sure why exactly I lagged in posts other than just being busy and not making my blog a priority. I intended to post shortly following significant events. So here’s what’s happened since May 8:

New play set – We splurged on a new play set in May. It happened to be put up a week before Joshua’s birthday thus he thought it was a present for him. No. It’s to replace the play set that came with the house that was in disrepair. The old set was carefully taken down and donated to a friend who has plenty of room in her backyard and a handy-hubby committed to replacing certain parts.

Joshua’s 5th birthday – He had a great party at Cinemark in Plano. They now have party rooms. I managed to invite 19 kids in less than 24 hours to watch Shrek 4 then have pizza & cake in the party room. The original plan was to have a grill party in the backyard. But we got a downpour the day prior that flooded one area of our yard. We had standing water for two days. (The flooding problem has since been corrected by installing a French drain.) Our gifts to him were a few t-shirts, some books and an insect catching kit.

Rusty's belated birthday present - I commissioned a painting for Rusty's birthday. It finally was finished and arrived early June. Wendy Hudman did a wonderful job! I told her to make something with music, science, colors from our piano room & office, and birds.

Mother’s Day – This year was low key. We went out for breakfast at The Egg & I in Addison. I don't remember much about that day now. I guess nothing significant happened. I mailed my mom’s gifts on time. She got a couple books (a new Dexter book and Murder City: Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields by Charles Bowden) and a shirt from Threadless.com with an owl in a tree sitting next to a cat with a sniper rifle and night-vision goggles. Awesome.

Father’s Day – I took the boys to- a place, shall we say- to get large wind chimes for Rusty’s Father’s Day gift. Although the boys were helpful in testing out the chimes (all of them!) they stressed me out in a store of breakables. I believe we had steak for dinner that night. A typical “Dad” dinner. I remember now that I didn’t think of my own dad at all that day.

Corpus Christi & Galveston vacation – Late June we took a mini vacation to visit my grandma Carlean in Corpus Christi. The purpose of the trip was to finally see the new grave marker I had ordered. But the cemetery let me down once again. They had received the marker but failed to tell me I would have to wait 15 days for the stone to be set. I would also not be able to view the marker myself. They were supposed to call me when the stone was finally set. It’s been a month and those bastards haven’t called me. I hate them. After that disappointment, we drove through Bay City, TX to see some of the old neighborhoods I lived in as a kid. It was much as I remembered but 25 years older. An old house that was once by a trailer home I lived in was gone. I guess they razed it. But the trailer was still there. The neat green house I lived in on 4th Street had motorcycles in the yard and a fence around the property. The neighbor’s on one side had junk on the porch and their own fence. When I was a kid there were no fences.

We took a scenic route to Galveston then stayed with my good friend Stephanie Rhoades and her family. The kids got along like kids and loved each others company. We spent most of one day at the Johnson Space Center near NASA. I highly recommend it for all ages.

Identity theft – On our last day in Galveston Rusty got a call from Bank of America confirming that we requested a new debit card be sent to our new address in Georgia. Wha?!? Apparently someone had stolen my identity (no, I don’t know how) so extensively they called the bank, passed all the security questions, changed our address to some place in Georgia then proceeded to request replacement cards. Luckily we stopped that nonsense before the replacement cards arrived. A week or so later they managed to get into our joint credit card and spend a few thousand bucks on car stuff and order from some catalog. I’ve since locked my credit, reported to the police, changed all my passwords, cancel cards and even reformatted my hard drive in case it had a spybot. I don’t have a credit card in my name and don’t intend on having one for a while until this seems to be behind us.

Matt Peck got married - Our good friend Matt Peck got married. It was a very traditional wedding with a reception at a golf course clubhouse. After they drove off in their limo we invited all our friends to our place to talk about the event and reconnect. In the beginning of the day we were not expecting company but somehow managed to clean up, provide snacks and have plenty of beverages for everyone. The after-party was way more fun than the wedding. :-)

July 4th - We saw fireworks. It was awesome as usual. Joshua was in a patriot music medley at school.

11 year anniversary – We celebrated our anniversary by going out to the Melting Pot (yum!) and stopping by The Flying Saucer where we happen to see Matt Peck and his new wife.

Getting ready for kindergarten – Joshua is ready to start kindergarten in late August. I think the big day is August 23rd. I plan to take that day off work. I expect to be a bit teary eyed. I’d like to walk him to school, walk in with him, see him settle in, then cry my butt off as I walk back home. I’m excited that he’s starting “big school” for a number of reasons. I hope Elliot does well with the transition. He’ll still be going to Glen Hollow dayschool but without his brother.

Today – Today is a typical Saturday. We got stuff done: laundry, cleaned some rugs, dishes, replaced batteries, played at a pocket park, etc. I expect tomorrow to be much of the same if maybe one small adventure like the science museum or Dallas farmer’s market. There’s no telling yet what we’ll do!

I haven't mentioned much about Elliot. He's very well. He's talking like a 3 year old already, tripping less, and still following and copying his brother at every turn. We're about to start potty training him. Wish me luck!

2010-05-08T19:55:00.002-05:00

Today was a good, busy day! We were part of a surprise party for Hannah then after a short pit stop at home, I was out again this time carting Joshua to another birthday party for friend Mika. Sadly, on the way out of the second birthday he stumbled on some stairs scrapping a knee and ankle. Luckily he didn't tumble much worse than he did.

I somehow found time to do some birthday shopping online for Joshua this morning. I found a couple books (about volcanoes and storms, his current obsessions), a Spider-Man t-shirt, and a bug catching kit. Sometime very very soon I need to finalize birthday plans. I still haven't worked out the date or festivities. I also want to get him his new bed by his birthday. He's outgrown his daybed by length. It's the same mattress he slept on as an infant, though now it's sagging in the middle from years of sleeping on it. I remember trying to image how he'd look in later years filling up the bed space. Now I struggle to remember how tiny he was back then! He does not need crayons or markers or paint. He's overly stocked on art supplies and rarely requests to use them anyway. I almost got him a string of multi-colored lights for his 3' Christmas tree in his room. I'm afraid that will have to wait though since I don't know where to find a string of lights this time of year.

We're also waiting for 2 replacement parts before we can build the new play set in the backyard. Unfortunately the slide arrived with large scratches and one beam had a disconcerting crack. Once those are in, we'll get it built, hopefully in time for Joshua's birthday.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I don't know what the day will be like yet. I know the morning: drive in-laws to airport. Then we'll look for brunch somewhere, maybe some place where I can eat for free. :-) Beyond that, the day is open for whatever. Perhaps I'll get my feet worked on, or do some much needed shoe shopping.

2010-04-24T19:35:00.006-05:00

Today we did Spring like things. We planted two flats of flowers from the Farmer's Market, refilled the bird feeder, let Elliot & Josh splash in puddles with their rain boots, watched bees fly around the flowers and at the end of the day we played with the stomp rocket at a pocket park letting the gusty winds carry the foam rockets high up.

One of Joshua's bottom teeth came out today! It's his first tooth to come out on its own. The first tooth he lost was due to a dentist who spotted an abscess root after he cracked a neighboring tooth from a fall in the bathroom. He first discovered this loose tooth on Wednesday or Thursday and by this morning it was hanging out practically horizontal when he pushed on it. Rusty made a quick run to the bank for a few gold dollar coins. I'll put one under his pillow tonight.

I almost bought Rusty a really cool expensive birthday present. I was on the phone about to give my credit card number when a very quiet thought suggested he might not think it's all that. It's completely out of character for me to talk about or show a gift prior to the giving, but I made a rare exception this time. We drove to the store, the sales person showed him a picture, they talked, Rusty asked a lot of the same questions I had asked, then we left for him to ponder things over. After a day of thinking, he decided it wasn't all that. So instead of a high-key birthday, we'll settle instead on a low-key birthday. I'll try to get out work around lunch time so we can catch a movie or do some disc golfing or do something fun and special together.

And on the topic of gifts, I have Mother's Day taken care and am just waiting to mail it out. Which is also unusual. I'm rarely this ahead of schedule when it comes to mailing stuff.

The black shirt pictures are from Easter before we dyed eggs.

2010-04-01T20:19:00.003-05:00

Today was a most excellent day. I've got my work caught up at work, Easter plans are coming together, and the new car is totally awesome. That's right new beautiful shiny fast Brabus Mercedes McLaren SLR Roadster with it's cushy red interior, front spoiler and V8 compressor. It goes deliriously fast and has super-awesome doors that open upward, not out. We had been talking about a new car for the fun of it and this week we decided we finally could afford it and really wanted it. So what of my Mazda? It's parked in the front now, exposed to the harsh elements and dangers of street life while our new beau is making everything in our garage look blah. This car is no kids allowed so we'll only drive it on dates and special occasions. And now we're back to being broke but hey- we can drive fast!

Our patio is finally refinished- yay! I thought the guy would never finish. Due to bad weather that project has dragged on for weeks. The contractor was real pleasant to work with though. He offered, half-jokingly, to watch our kids last week so today we decided to take him up on his offer. He's working on some ladies gutters and a neighbor's kitchen tile tomorrow then he'll come by to watch our kiddos while we catch a movie. I feel real confident he'll do a good job. I haven't met him much beyond a few hellos and updates about our patio, but I figure his dad-like instincts will kick in. He doesn't have kids or even a girlfriend so he's not constrained to a schedule. I thought about doing a background check and asking for referrals, but I'm worried that will seem rude so I'm just going with good vibes.

Last bit of insight: I read on the internet recently about alternative fertilizers in an attempt to save a bit of cash and be more eco-friendly. I read that human excrement brewed with food (like the stuff you'd put into your compost) is actually extremely nutritious for the plants. I've requested HOA approval to use this method of fertilization on our yard. The first test batch I brewed did smell pretty bad but it also left a noticeably greener patch of grass. It also attracts insects which help aerate the ground and provides a habitat for them. The first I brewed contained a week's worth of pee, several bowel movements from all of us, and about 3 pounds of food waste. You brew it in a large pot, cool it, then spread it evenly. I totally recommend it!

2010-03-30T20:23:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from an email from me to a mom friend asking how I've been doing lately:

I've been very well. I really enjoy my job right now, enjoy my time at home w/ kiddos, and love this Spring weather. I am working full time now and work is keeping me very busy but in a good way. Other than that, not much new to report. Oh, we are talking about buying a new play set for the backyard this spring. THAT will be exciting. We can finally afford to upgrade. How are *you*? And how is Jensen? Is he a big talker these days? Elliot is doing good going to day school at Glen Hollow 5 days a week. He enjoys it and comes home hungry and with stories about his day like "Sophia took my crayon" and "Jayden pushed me into the trash and I laughed" and "I heard the lightening and the thunder BOOM! at the school!" And Elliot's got a HUGE obsession with Wall-E. I swear we've watched that movie 2 dozen times!

In other news, Joshua recently went to the pulmonologist for a check up. He's doing fine with his asthma. He weighs 44 pounds and is 44¾ inches tall. I've started buying 5T shirts and shorts or size 5/6 depending on the brand. He also got new shoes recently, kids 11. Joshua is growing like a beanstalk! I asked him the other day what color car he wants to drive when he grows and he said "Orange with stripes of color so everyone will know my car."

Gotta love his creativity!

2010-03-20T19:59:00.003-05:00

One month after Josh left karate I have to report he has improved remarkably! It could be a number of other influences, but the timing is uncanny. Here's what got better:

He's doing school work- 2-4 pages of writing letters/numbers each day
He's helping more at home with less complaint
He's having fewer "accidents"
He's less punchy

Now, we did have a stern word or two around the time he was taken out of karate. Perhaps it was the impact of our schpiel and being removed from karate that sunk in.

Now, we have introduced some new brain exercises to promote further development. By the advice of Donna Bateman (a development brain specialist who also raised 8 kids) we're now having him crawl around, smell things, listen for the location of sounds, and occasionally stimulating his fight-or-flight response. All of these are supposed to stimulate areas of his brain that are slightly lagging behind such as the mid-brain, pons and amygdala. She has a program that involves lots of stimulation each day but honesty we only have/make time for some. I figure some is still better than none.

Speaking of time (which I'm almost out of because the kids' bedtime is quickly approaching) I am now working full time at work and still enjoying it. My pay increased, I got benefits and I got new responsibilities. The drawback of course is I'm home less than before. Rusty is now Mr. Homemaker as well as his more-than-full-time job at Bank of America. He cooks, cleans, makes dinner and still manages a day of packed with conference calls and other tasks. He is super awesome and I don't tell him often enough. (But I did today via text message.)

2010-02-22T18:44:00.003-06:00

This week marks the end of a karate era for our home. For nine months our four year old Joshua has been taking karate classes at a local studio learning how to punch, kick, stand at attention, defend against teachers with cushions and yell "ai-ya!" He hated going half the time but once he was lined up he got into it and did fairly well. He competed winning a trophy and a medal and earned several belts getting as high as orange. But then a conversation with his day school teacher alerted us to bad behaviors. One day when picking him up, his friend was crying holding his mouth. Apparently Joshua had just punched his friend in the mouth. Surprised, I put him into time-out right there on the playground with all friends and a teacher watching. He pleaded to just go home but I stood my ground that his behavior was unacceptable and would not be ignored. We talked about what he did, reminded him how bad that was and told him if he hit anyone again we would stop going to karate.

Two weeks later his teacher told us he had punched a kid in the stomach. Karate was over.

For selfish reasons I'm glad karate is over because I was getting tired of taking him two times a week. It forced me to leave work early and made us fret over whether one day was gloves day or not. That's me whining. The real reason I'm glad karate is over is because I don't want him to learn conflict resolution by punching or kicking. I want him to use his words or even walk away from stressful moments, not lash out like a two year old. And for a child that, I am convinced, is practically ADHD with poor impulse control, karate wasn't a good match.

I'm not sure what the next class will be. Swimming is in early summer but for only two weeks. Maybe Spanish or dance or science depending on his interest in these topics. Whatever it is, I don't support punching and kicking until he's more mature.

2010-01-26T21:22:00.003-06:00

Josh: Hey guess what mom- a hundred cameras and a hundred lights makes you blue.
Me: *snicker* No, lights and cameras don't make you blue, but computers can make your picture blue.

The blue people conversation was prompted by a news blurb about Avatar. We saw the movie (it was really fantastic) and have decided Josh is too young for it now. Harsh language aside, it has more violence than a 4 year old needs. I'm thinking he'll be mature enough when he's in his teens, like 13 or 14. Which is- wow -10 years from now!

Talk about time flying! Tens years ago...

I was newly married.
I was a student at UNT.
I worked at Homewood Suites Hotel.
I drove a Ford Taurus.
Rusty worked at Verio.
We lived in a small apartment.

I have no idea what's in store for the next ten years. In ten years Josh will be 14 and Elliot will be twelve. Josh might be dating or at least interested in girls. Elliot will no longer be free at most "kids eat free" places. Rusty & I will both be earning more (God willing) but will probably be spending and saving more too. Some of our furnishings will be upgraded. Hell, we may be in a different home! I feel secure that our family will be in tact and my kids won't totally hate me. Hopefully that much of the future comes true.

2010-01-20T20:08:00.002-06:00

I am loving my job more than I thought I would. I actually look forward to work. I enjoy the challenges, I enjoy the people I work with, I enjoy the newness of the company and, most of all, I enjoy that I actually do well without being bored. I didn't expect to stay this long nor to care about it this much when I first applied. I was expecting this to be traditional sales support role that involved running errands, ordering supplies, printing, filing, etc. This job falsely advertised its position. It's NOT sales support in the traditional sense. Which is probably why I enjoy it so much. So what on Earth do I do, you ask?

I work for Forex Capital Markets, a small growing firm that helps clients trade currencies. Instead of trading stocks forex traders are trading on the value of a certain currency against another. As with anything that is technology based, things go wrong either from a confused user learning to use the software or unforeseen technology issues. That's- ta-daa! -where I come in (well, my team I should say) to solve the mystery of happened and whether the client needs a credit. Some cases are relatively easy taking 15 or less to resolve, some are very complicated taking multiple sets of eyes from the most senior of staff. The team has gotten so good at expediting audit cases that the company is looking to expand our team into other areas around the company. For example, I get to sit with the QC team (quality control for the call center) for the next two weeks to see if/how we can get involved in helping them. And I'm looking forward to this- it's something I've never done before!

In other news, we're going to see Eddie Izzard live tomorrow. Yay! We're going with Dave, whose name is actually pronounced Daaaaaave!

2010-01-01T21:52:00.004-06:00

Welcome 2010!

Our New Year's Eve celebration was hardly a celebration. This year we were tired and drifted off to sleep just as the clock turned midnight. I know this because I heard some shouts and fireworks as I started to drift off and Rusty was already breathing heavy. I don't expect this year to be some great replacement for this year's woes. We're still in a Recession, still in a war overseas, and still making some of the same mistakes and still looking for the future to somehow magically fix it all.

I don't make resolutions anymore. I used to. Instead I aspire to be better in some way all year long. Know who else doesn't make resolutions? Organizations. I wish companies would publish a resolution to make some improvement we all care about like using less plastic, reducing waste, hiring more staff, etc. I wish countries would make resolutions like raise GDP or reduce air pollution or update some policy that effects everyone. It would be great if even families made resolutions like to get everyone together one time in the next year or share in taking care of someone or cook healthier foods. Making a personal resolution doesn't work because you are only accountable to you and you will always let yourself off the hook. But being part of a larger project makes everyone accountable and gives everyone something to work towards and get re-inspired together. Hmmm, come to think of it, maybe MY family could start this idea by making our own resolution. Check back soon to see what decided to do.

2009-12-26T09:55:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Our family enjoyed the Christmas holiday this year with the surprise of snow. Joshua and Elliot bot got great toys that they love. Today we'll go to stores to make a few exchanges. Joshua has made cookies with his Easy Bake Oven, both boys have zapped us with their space guns. Joshua reminds me every so often that we need to tell Santa that the bike he got was too big. We'll fix that tomorrow.

Tonight we'll have a friend over for dinner and libations. Then I'm heading out for a party at Rob's. Ever since Rob suggested we all take a limo from airport to our hotels in Vancouver he's been on my A+ list. How smooth! I expect to meet new people and stay up late. Rusty has already said he wants to go to be early so we both will be happy.

For New Years we don't have plans. I'm working my normal schedule this week (Tuesday through Thursday) and kids are in school Monday through Wednesday). Monday will be Rusty and I's day to play disc golf, see a movie and do some things we can't do with the kids like get my car registered and replace the windshield wipers.

2009-12-13T16:41:00.003-06:00

Today was almost a very good day for Josh. He's been on good behavior all day, just a charm to be with. And then this.

We suggested he go to the bathroom before he plays outside. He doesn't want to go so we insist he try or else he can't go out. He mills around in the bathroom quietly for a minute or two. I check on him to see what he's up to only to discover-

-he peed on the bathroom floor!

Not like by accident as if he missed the bowl. Oh no. It was smack dab in the center of the small room. I responded with disappointment. I made him clean the floor first with two paper towels, then with a mop. He sat in timeout then we talked about his decision to do this bad behavior. As a final way to let this sink in, we banned him from watching 'little boy shows' for the evening, as he calls them. I'm not sure why he did this. He didn't seem mad when he went to he bathroom, we weren't cross with him prior to going, and he'd never peed on the floor before even as a toddler running around without a diaper. He didn't give us a reason for his action other then "I don't know".
"Were you just not thinking when you decided to pee on the floor?" I asked.
"No."

Apparently not. Hopefully this will be the last time he chooses to act out by urinating on my floors.

2009-12-12T00:45:00.001-06:00

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2009-11-28T19:10:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was low key for us. Last year was drama with Rusty's grandmother slowly succumbing to cancer and his mother cooking for like twelve people. This year the in-laws wanted a break from cooking and to start the holiday on a fresh note. So we ate out at Maggiano's. And it was very awesome!

Then Black Friday I actually got up at 4:40am to venture out for shopping. I had never done this before, not sure if I will again next year. There is something nice about shopping alone and getting it mostly done in one day. I was back home by 6:30am before anyone was awake. I even stopped for kolache breakfast for everyone. I did get good deals on toys and clothes. I was surprised at how many guys were shopping. I expected it to be mostly women but it was all people: young, old, men, women, various backgrounds. My first store was Target and the line at their 5am opening was wrapped half way around the side. Before I was even inside three people left with flat screen TVs. The electronics section was crazy busy. Toys were busy too but navigable. I was probable the few well dressed. Most everyone else was wearing sweats and pajamas with coats over them.

Today we're decorating for Christmas. Lights are up outside, inflatables are blown up and secured to the ground, and the tree is assembled if also naked. Despite the outward holiday cheer Rusty & I are grumbly towards each other today. We're not mad and not fighting just bickering. It's like we're not on the same page. There's growing tension on my mind that he spends so much time at his computer for various reasons instead of being in the common area with us. The office is sort of off-limits to the kids although they frequently get in there with limit permission. I check stuff at my computer throughout the day but I'm in the common area able to supervise, participate with the kids, engage them, and just be present. I hate the office that it keeps Rusty preoccupied from other things, even if they are menial and trivial in the grand scheme of things. He doesn't do this intentionally and he's not in there all day, it's just how the home is laid out with his computer in a room away from the action. I don't have a good solution so I probably won't bring it up right now.

2009-11-17T20:48:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday Elliot!! Today our little guy is 2!

We celebrated this morning by having Cocoa Puffs. I'm starting a new tradition of having super-yummy (i.e. too sugary for ordinary consumption) breakfast cereals for birthdays. For Joshua's birthday they will enjoy Cookie Crisps or Fruity Pebbles or something like that. Then it's back to healthy granola flakes or Lucky Charms or some variety of Cheerios. The boys went to school then for dinner I had balloons and a banner decorating the dining room. We had Elliot's favorite dinner: hot dogs, blueberries, cheese and chips. Of course nothing escapes me without some nutritional value. The buns were whole wheat with no sugar added and the chips were veggie chips.

And then there was cake! Or rather, over-sized chocolate cupcakes with balloon shaped frosting. Again, as healthy as a cupcake can be, these were from Whole Foods made of whole ingredients, no trans fats, no hydrogenated anything. And still very yummy!

Elliot's gift from us were bongos.

I can still remember the night he was born like it was last week. Labor came on quickly and was intense. My midwife was excellent, our labor assistant was wonderful, Rusty was a super coach and Elliot was a plump, quiet baby. He was so quiet he scared the midwife for a second. Immediately after coming out he didn't cry or respond right away then a second or two later he wailed like all newborns do. It startled Dinah but he turned out just fine.

At two, he's bright, opinionated, eager to try new things (but not vegetables), he loves to hear singing, show off his counting skills and look at books. His favorite item in the house is his fuzzy blanket which he drags (literally) everywhere around the house. He's rough with the cats, always getting into the bathroom drawers and climbs anything that will hold his weight. His favorite foods do not include vegetables although he tolerates corn and peas. He's easy to put to bed, he naps well and he wakes up happy nearly every morning. He's a charm to be with! I am so lucky to know him and be his mommy!

2009-11-13T11:56:00.003-06:00

Despite unfounded fears of vaccine safety, I got both my boys vaccinated this morning against the H1N1 virus. They'll have a follow up booster shot in a month. I searched for a couple months and waited for my pediatrician to get it then while chatting with my dentist it struck me like a brick that his pulmonologist would likely have it or know where I could get it. Score! And thanks to our tax dollars it was free. Joshua is definitely in the high risk group having his asthma-like respiratory problems. Elliot is not in the high risk group but he got it too. Neither cried nor screamed although Josh was much more reluctant than Elliot.

So why are so many people afraid of this vaccine? Most seasonal flu shots don't cause an uproar of rejection like this one does. Some are afraid the vaccine was rushed into production with minimal testing for safety. There may have been a rush in the face of deaths and demand but the same stringent testing and approval processes were in place. There have been more news announcements about people dying from the virus and it's complications than from people with bad reactions to the vaccine. I understand fears to some vaccines. I was fearful of the MMR vaccine for both of my children. Although there is no conclusive evidence that the MMR vaccine causes autism [fda.gov], the correlation is noteworthy and difficult to ignore. Rather than snub the vaccine entirely I delayed it until my kids were older than 18 months old and requested that it be the only vaccine for that visit. Not surprisingly, my kids did not develop autism. I was afraid the smallest trace of mercury-containing preservative thimerosal [fda.gov]. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish [epa.gov]. My kids have eaten tuna, shrimp and salmon with absolutely no reaction. To be fearful of a tiny amount of mercury akin to eating fish seems ludicrous in retrospect.

Not getting vaccinated against a terrible illness is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. There's wrong with doing that until the bike crashes, and then you'd wish you'd had your helmet.

2009-11-03T20:37:00.002-06:00

I'm either going to love it or hate it but I successfully charmed everyone in an interview today for an entry level position at a small marketing & advertising agency in Plano. If I land this job I'll be helping a small team to develop html based emails, testing, content management, and working with databases of client provided information. It would be a full-time job so that would be the end of being home on Mondays & Fridays with the kids. But it would bring in much needed income and put me more on a career path than my current part-time gig. I hope to hear back from them tomorrow as follow up to today's interview.

2009-10-31T22:37:00.002-05:00

Halloween was fantastic and busy this year! It seems that each year gets bigger and we hand out more candy than the year before. It helps that we are literally two blocks from a cemetery and our neighborhood gets festive with decorations and people in costume sitting on porches. Our house is known as "the monster house". We have huge scary wooden teeth shapes fastened to our porch (from atop and along a rail in center), and two red Chinese lanterns in two windows on the second floor to resemble eyes. Throw in cob webs, bats taped to the windows, a plasma lamp, creepy ghost things hanging from the porch and yard, scary sounds blasting from the windows, and a skeleton in the grass and you've got over a 100 kids at your door over the course of the night. I started out generous handing out 3-4 pieces at a time, maybe even throwing in a small toy too. As we began scraping the bottom of our bucket at 8:15, I was much more reserved. Rusty dashed out for a few bags to refill us. Every year we exaggerate on how much candy we buy and how busy our porch is then the next year meets that exaggeration. Next year I've got an idea to add arms to the side of the house, I want to get a red flood light for the porch, some walk-way lights, and a few more yard trinkets. Next year we will buy more candy & treats to last us comfortably until at least 9:30. Next year I'll need someone to help us manage the mayhem!

This year Joshua was a Transformer and Elliot was Underdog. Both boys had a super good time both trick 'r treating and handing out candy on the porch.

2009-10-25T21:23:00.002-05:00

My older son is so excited about Halloween that he asks me several times a day whether it's Halloween yet. He wants to know if it will happen after Elliot's nap or after dinner or in the morning. The repeated explanation of one more week doesn't connect with him.

Meanwhile, I'm already preparing for a Halloween party at our house on Friday. I'm expecting about ten kids and their chauffeurs. I love hosting and Halloween so much it's hard not to go all out. Tonight I'm cutting construction paper into bat shapes to hang around the patio. Thursday night or Friday morning I'll bake either cupcakes or muffins with a pumpkin ingredient. some time this week I'll make a playlist of music. I already have matching plates, table cover, napkins and goody bag toy. It's a compulsion of mine to not just open my home to others but to also include an element of entertaining. I want my guests to feel welcomed, to have a good time and remember the event. Think of it as my brand of hosting.

With that in mind, I've got some tracing and clipping to do. Better not stay up all night typing!

2009-10-23T19:33:00.002-05:00

I survived my third week of work at my new job. I have to admit I've got it very easy right now. I decided to re-enter the working world not with a canon ball jump but with one toe in to test the waters first. My schedule allows me to be home two weekdays and home late afternoon to I can prep dinner and prepare for everyone's home coming. The job doesn't pay well ($12/hr) but I'm not in retail, food service or a customer facing position. Not to say those types of jobs are undesirable. At the end of my day as sales support, I am done with work- no obligations, no lingering responsibilities, no emails to check, I'm the opposite of on-call. Alas, it's not a career move. I'm still looking for something that will make more money per paycheck and engage me a bit more.

But I know a career move means giving up some of the perks of a small job. What I'll miss the most are my days off with the kids, even at the expense of tantrums, sticky floors and snacks tucked into the couch cushions. The second thing I'll miss is being home in time to prep dinner well before everyone else comes home. It's more than being able to cook a (somewhat) healthy meal; it's about having that moment to get ahead of the crazy evening to come. And, admittedly, catch a segment of Ellen or Oprah. I'll also miss the flexibility that comes with a low-impact job. If I need to leave suddenly, I can just leave. There's no shift changing, no reports to finish, no deadlines.

Did I mention the low pay?

I have an interview next week with a reputable company for a marketing reporting analyst position. It isn't glamorous work but it would pay better and put me back on the career oriented path. It will probably mean the end of perks too. Although I'm a working mom like millions of other mothers, I feel like I haven't walked their shoes yet. If I get this next job I certainly will.

I just hope the shoe fits and that I don't trip too often.

2009-10-08T22:47:00.003-05:00

Here's our drama for the evening. For anyone with a precocious four year old, you can appreciate this. We have an enclosed backyard with a sturdy gate (two if you count the one in the driveway for the cars), play set, bushes and plenty of open grassy area to play. I usually keep an eye on the kids when they are outside by watching from the living room windows and/or the screen door. They have the independence of play without me hovering over and I have the momentary peace of mind where I can actually clean up or cook or think. This evening, however, Rusty and I noticed only one child playing. After a quick search around the bushes, examining the gate to be still closed and double checking the bathrooms, we got nervous that Joshua had vanished. AGAIN!

I sent this email to our neighborhood discussion list after five minutes of searching the house and backyard. The discuss list, I should add, is actually pretty good at eliciting quick responses.

Subject [HSdiscuss] Missing Child!
Sender Sarah Nejdl
Recipient HOA
Date Today 18:54

Joshua is missing from our backyard- green shirt w/ frog, orange shorts, lt. brown hair- 4 years old named Joshua. He's in BIG trouble and hopefully someone can spot him.

THANKS!

The Nejdl Family

A few more minutes of searching around the house and walking up the neighborhood involving our next door neighbor who hopped into his car to drive around looking...

Subject Re: [HSdiscuss] Missing Child!, FOUND
Sender Sarah Nejdl
Recipient HOA
Date Today 18:57

Child found!

Does anyone know where I can find implantable GPS locators on the black market??

The Nejdl Family

Rusty chimed in with his own email to the neighborhood...

Subject Re: [HSdiscuss] Missing Child!, FOUND
Sender The Nejdl Family
Recipient HOA
Date Today 19:07

For the record, he never left the backyard but instead managed to for the first time in his life hide and be quiet at the same time.

Rusty

He was hiding in his sandbox with the lid on ignoring our calls. Of course my fears were on abduction or wandering from the home. I'm more than half serious about that implanted GPS locator. At least then I'll know where he is.

2009-10-04T10:51:00.002-05:00

The first baby is always an exciting time for parents-to-be. Not always happy excitement either considering the added coming financial stress, decisions about work versus staying at home, the physical discomforts of carrying a baby to term, and all the anxieties surrounding unknowns. Will the baby be healthy? Will labor go smoothly? Will my baby be colicky? What IS colic??

For this, we have baby showers! A time to celebrate the positives, collect unsolicited advise, and hopefully get a few gifts to help the new parents. We treated a good friend to baby shower this weekend. The event was a smashing success by most standards: good food, games, gabbing, gifts galore, and a buzzy happy friendly mood that spread person to person like a wildfire. In the background, sometimes unnoticed, sometimes a discussion point, was the music. I created a playlist of music to last most of the party. After an hour of downloading a few must-haves that I didn't already have in my library, I added a mix of all-around good tunes for any party scene.

Several people requested the playlist. So here it is presented in the order played, which is roughly by duration.

Buddy Holly - Little Baby*
The Beatles - I'm So Tired*
The Beatles - All My Loving
The Drifters - There Goes My Baby*
Bobby Darin - You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby (Rock Version)
The Beatles - And I Love Her
Aretha Franklin - Baby, I Love You*
Smash Mouth - Can't Get Enough of You Baby*
Presidents of USA - Ladybug
Diana Ross - Baby Love*
Jonathan Coutlon - Stroller Town*
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Bing Crosby - You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby*
Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out*
Sufjn Stevens - DECATUR, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!
Smash Mouth - Then the Morning Comes
Paul Simon - Mother And Child Reunion*
The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
The Beatles - Cry Baby Cry*
Smash Mouth - Home
Phoenix - 1901
Sarah Hudson - Girl On The Verge
The Shins - Caring Is Creepy
Ben Folds Five - Battle Of Who Could Care Less
Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire*
Smash Mouth - All Star
No Doubt - Sixteen
ThruYOU - just_a_lady
Modest Mouse - Float On
No Doubt - Just A Girl
Beastie Boys – Intergalactic
White Stripes - The Hardest Button To Button
Cat Power - Free
Monty Python - Always Look On the Bright Side of Life*
ThruYOU - the_mother_of_all_funk_chords
Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get It Started
Madonna - Lucky Star
ThruYOU - someday
Pizzicato Five - The Girl From Ipanema
Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies
The Shins - New Slang
Ben Folds Five - One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces
Talking Heads - Up All Night*
Madonna - Material Girl
Supreme Beings of Leisure - You're Always The Sun
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
DaVinci's Notebook - Another Irish Drinking Song
Basement Jaxx - Hush Boy
Jewel - Who Will Save Your Soul
Basement Jaxx - Tonight
Pizzicato Five - Twiggy Twiggy
ThruYOU - this_is_what_it_became
Lamb - Alien*
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
Jewel - You Were Meant For Me
No Doubt - You Can Do It
Supreme Beings of Leisure - Last Girl On Earth
Basement Jaxx - Red Alert
Basement Jaxx - Cish Cash
Talking Heads - As The Days Go By
Talking Heads - Our House In The Middle of the Street
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Eels - Trouble With Dreams
Basement Jaxx - do_your_thing
Basement Jaxx - wheres_your_head_at
Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
Jonathan Coulton - Creepy Doll
Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
Fatboy Slim - Praise You
Beastie Boys - Body movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
Mighty Dub Katz - Magic Carpet Ride
Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely*
Stretch 'N Vern - Get Up! Go Insane! (Fatboy Really Lost It Mix)
Fatboy Slim - You've Come a Long Way, Baby
Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey
White Stripes - Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

* Indicates songs put on a CD for the mom-to-be.

PS- I should add, for those who don't know Tommy & Kathy, they are expecting a girl, hence some of the girl themed songs like "Isn't She Lovely".

2009-09-29T22:22:00.002-05:00

As if picky eaters, artificial colors, trans fats, excessive sugar and sodium content weren't enough to stress out any nutrient conscience mother, now it's mercury. That's right, mercury in our foods. Granted, in trace amounts that probably won't do significant damage unless ingested in alarming quantities, but it's there. Scientists recently tested high-fructose corn syrup and discovered as much as 0.570 micrograms of mercury per gram. The average American consumes roughly 50 grams daily, give or take depending on diet. However, pregnant mothers should be wary of what they eat since mercury passes to the baby and there is no "safe" level determined for developing fetuses.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade published their own research findings along with a list of foods and beverages high in HFCS that top the list. View the complete list here.

What's the top ten on the list?
1. Quaker Oatmeal to Go
2. Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce (Heinz)
3. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
4. Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
5. Nutri‐Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
6. Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe
7. Market Pantry Grape Jelly
8. Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly
9. Pop‐Tarts Frosted Blueberry
10. Hunt's Tomato Ketchup

Scientific journal publishing one study in Environmental Health
Institute for Agriculture and Trade report

2009-09-26T19:22:00.003-05:00

We took Joshua to an ADHD Center on Friday to get a second opinion on whether he's ADHD/ADD. Joshua likely has ADD or ADHD. Although the doctor we met can't officially diagnosis him as such until he starts public school, he felt confident that Joshua would be, so we're going to treat him as though he does. We'll let his teachers know in kindergarten next year that he'll have an attention deficit and higher energy than his peers and may be a distraction to others. It also explains his pants wetting. The doctor told us that children with ADHD/ADD tend to take longer with potty training (i.e. they wet themselves more frequently) because they don't listen to their bodies, they're so distracted with the surroundings. I know you're thinking, "Josh is hyper? Surely you jest!" But it felt good to get some official confirmation so we know what we're truly dealing with and can respond effectively. The frequent wetting seems less of a choice now so I'm a little less mad when he wets himself and a little less discouraged about how long it's taking to get past the frequent wetting. We both agreed no drugs until he's at least in first grade, and then we'll carefully evaluate the options. The center offers play therapy and we may consider that later on. But for now we're content to have a specialist for extra guidance.

2009-09-26T14:53:00.002-05:00

I've added ads to my blog near the bottom of the sidebar. If you ever feel compelled to click on something I get paid a small amount for that click. Of course you're not obligated to do anything, buy anything, join anything or anything.

2009-09-24T16:53:00.003-05:00

I'm playing with new backgrounds. I haven't 100% settled on one yet so it may change in the next few hours/days. If you have opinions, let me know!

I start my new part-time job next Monday morning. I'm prepared and excited. I even filled out a W-4 form online from irs.gov. I love the internet!

Tonight I'm heading out for a Mom's Night Out with some friends. Then I get to come home to a new episode of Project Runway. This is MY day, my last free day for a little while. I've become a bit less motivated, less go-getter in the last several months of dwindling freelance work and added freedom of kids being in pre-school. I'm looking forward to re-entry into working life.

2009-09-23T18:37:00.002-05:00

"Are these pickles?" Josh asked of the sauteed squash and zucchini.
"No, they're zuu, uh yeah! they're zukes! Zukes are cooked pickle slices and are really yummy."
He reluctantly nibbles a bite then tells me he doesn't like them. Oh well, I tried.

2009-09-19T21:19:00.002-05:00

My birthday was this weekend. I got flowers, books, circuit board earrings and digital cash for new music. I also got a massage that Rusty scheduled for me at the massage place up the road. The best part about my birthday was a surprise visit from our friend Dave who decided to drop by randomly after dinner. He didn't know it was my birthday but it was a nice end to my day. We drank wine and talked about various topics ranging from politics to weight loss.

Then I woke up early and cranky this morning no thanks to two noisy needy kiddos.

Joshua got a haircut this afternoon. He looks very handsome again. We're planning Elliot's fist cut for his second birthday. His hair grows slowly like mine. Next week Friday we've made an appointment to take Joshua to a clinic for a second opinion concerning his attention deficit. We're thinking he has or will have ADD. In preschool he doesn't always participate with his classmates, he zones out easily, in karate he has a 2 second delay in following commands, and he continues to wet himself. We're now wondering if he's wetting himself so frequently b/c he's not able to focus on what his body is telling him. Another theory Rusty holds is the possibility of him having diabetes but I doubt he does. We don't want to put him on medication, we want some guidance in how to effectively handle his excess energy and lack of focus. Perhaps with a bit of direction, he'll be better suited for school next Fall.

Elliot, in other news, has become our little parrot. He's making 2-3 word sentences, repeating words and phrases, and now trying to sing. His singing is only two or three notes worth, but it's so adorable to hear him. He tries to sing "row row your boat", "bring back my bonnie", "daisy daisy" and "twinkle twinkle little star". He LOVES it when we sing. If you count along with him, he can count to ten. But all is not so adorable. His latest thing is to shout "MOM!" repeatedly to get my attention. And usually it's for something seemingly inane like to say he's got his cup or there's the cat or to demonstrate the sound of thunder. That part is cute, but being yelled at in rapid fire succession for attention: MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!... is not cute. It's annoying and I look forward to him growing out of that quirk.

2009-09-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

I must make a confession. I bought ground turkey flavored like Italian sausage then cooked it into a lasagna. When Rusty praised me for cooking with sausage for once (he really likes sausage in his lasagnas as opposed to ground beef) I didn't correct him. I smiled and hoped he won't inspect the meat packing too much. The kids loved it, I loved it, Rusty loved it- so who's to complain! I feel like if I had told him up front that it was turkey instead of pork sausage he would be more iffy on the meal, perhaps more critical or chide me for trying yet again to be stealthily healthy. So why bother telling? It's my little secret until he reads this posting.

2009-09-11T08:39:00.002-05:00

I left a birthday message for my cousin Alysia this morning. Joshua over-heard the call:

Josh: "Is she having a birthday today?"
Me: "Yes, today is my cousin's birthday."
"Yay!! That's great! Oh boy! When daddy comes home we can go see her and-"
"Oh Josh, no, she lives far far away. We aren't going to a birthday party."
"She lives far away?"
"Yep. We'd have to take a fast plane to go see her."
A thoughtful moment then, "I have an idea!! When Elliot takes his nap, then we can take a fast plane and go to her birthday!"

This kid sure likes a party. Maybe some day he will make a flying car like he says he wants to.

2009-09-09T10:19:00.002-05:00

I wrote a very brief letter to my senator and representative recently concerning healthcare reform, which is all the buzz these days. My note was something like, I am in favor of health care reform in some capacity. I realize these are troubled times for our economy but I don't trust the next administration to make it a priority. Please keep my opinions in mind when you represent your constituents. And I promise not to storm the state capital in protest. Something like that.

Here's the letter I got back from Senator John Cornyn:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Nejdl:

Thank you for contacting me about efforts to reform our nation's healthcare system. The American healthcare system faces a myriad of complex challenges: rising medical and prescription drug costs, a lack of stable insurance coverage, and a medical bureaucracy that is increasingly difficult to navigate. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this important issue.

I am well acquainted with the frustration of many Americans struggling to meet their healthcare needs within the current cumbersome system, and I understand the urgency to implement sound revisions. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), spending on health care will account for nearly 17 percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2009—totaling as much as $2.6 trillion. Health care costs have more than doubled over the last ten years and far outpaced wage growth, and I believe that meaningful health care reform is very important. However, I believe reform can be achieved by lowering the cost of health care without spending more money and without giving Washington more control over the decisions of doctors and patients.

Health care affects every American and I believe we need to take the time to listen to the patients, providers, families, and small businesses who will be significantly impacted. America has a highly complicated system and it is important to ensure that changes are thoroughly considered and not hastily passed by Congress. It may interest you to learn, that I am helping lead a Senate health reform working group that meets regularly to discuss the most pressing areas for reform in our nation’s healthcare system. It is important that Americans have access to affordable health insurance and therefore, I believe we must reform our healthcare system, emphasizing individual choice and trusting patients, their families, and their doctors—not lawyers or bureaucrats—to make health maintenance and treatment decisions. I am committed to improving access to quality, affordable health care, and you may be certain that I will keep your views in mind as I work my congressional colleagues, as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, to address this critical issue.

As Congress works to reform our healthcare system, I will adamantly oppose the creation of a Washington-run government health insurance plan, which I believe is unequivocally a gateway to a single-payer system. I believe that a new government-run health insurance plan will devastate private insurance markets by acting as a competitor, regulator, and funder. Independent estimates have found that such a plan could result in 118 million Americans losing their current health benefits, and leave 130 million Americans to rely on a government-run health care plan. Additionally, I cannot support punitive health benefit taxes on small businesses, which will hurt wages and jobs.

Successful health care reform will put patients in charge, and improve the insurance system so that providers will compete for their business by delivering high quality care at affordable prices. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

Sometimes I wish we didn't have such a massive private insurance system to begin with.

2009-09-07T08:10:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we spent the day at Fossil Rim Wildlife Park in Glen Rose, TX. Unlike most zoos, this is a free range environment where visitors drive through the park in their cars on a designated (bumpy) road. This was a first for all of us. For anyone planning to go, be prepared to see lots of variety of deer. There's more types of deer than any other species combined. We did see the cheetah, the rhino, emus, ostriches, yaks, buffalo, zebras and giraffes. And TONS of deer. The kids loved two things: feeding the animals and riding in the front of the car with us. It was a novelty that never grew old.

While there, at the half-way point where the kids hung out with goats and kids, I managed to drop my phone and crack the screen. I can receive calls, make calls and text, but I can't read the screen entirely. I'll go to the Sprint store today to see about a new Palm phone. The thing that sucks the most about this is that I brought my old phone to the park, which was somewhat working despite a mechanical glitch (two buttons on the key pad didn't work), to be recycled in order for us to get in half price. It sucks that the very day I finally decide to get rid of the spare phone is the very day I destroyed my good phone. >:-/

Today will be a day of chillaxing, as the new slang goes. Mowing the yard, get a replacement phone, laundry, bake a chicken, and clean the floor. Doesn't sound much like chillin' or relaxin' to be honest!

2009-09-02T21:55:00.002-05:00

It seems that the days I go to counseling are the days I'm more tired at the end of the day. Today wasn't as emotionally charged as some other meetings have been, but I did get sad a couple times thinking about my dad's death and that I'll miss him. I'm miss his company and being able to call him and share snippets of my life with him. We didn't have a close relationship but I'll miss him anyway. I'm more at peace now with some of the stress and anger I felt before and after his death. I don't regret any of my actions, I won't play the "should've could've" game, I'm not going to simmer on negative thoughts. He had a better parental relationship with me than he had with his own parents, despite his own shortcomings. Now that I see him within this context, I understand him a little better and why he did some things the way he did.

I'm much lighter without this weight. Even Rusty noticed that lately I'm a little peppier than I had been.

I'll end on that note, I'm really tired. Besides, someone has to keep on ear on Josh who is still awake!

2009-08-28T21:56:00.003-05:00

Joshua got his high-white belt in karate this evening. He did very good showing off what he's learned in the past three months. Before the test, the school put on a few performances where older students (grade school to young adult) did karate moves choreographed to music showing all sorts of skills like flying kicks, flips, breaking wood panels, nun-chucks, and wood poles. Joshua really liked the performances.

I have good news to report I have a job interview on Tuesday! It's the first job interview in over five years. My last employment job wasn't a typical interview but will prepare me for the meeting next week. In my last job at SAMCO Capital Markets, I came in boldly announcing they needed a new service to provide clients and they needed someone who could do it right and on the cheap and could effectively compete with a guy they hated. Once I got their attention, I brought on my manager and a colleague into the meetings. We made an agreement and thus my job began. THIS job also isn't for a particular posted position. Nobody else is competing with my resume. I need to convince the number two guy that I can bring something great their firm. I won't be proving that I'll get work done, not be late, have computers skills, etc, I'm creating a position. I'm a little nervous because I really really want to work here. I'm sure things will work out fine, but until then I'm going to be obsessed about it.

Rusty is back from working in California the week. I hate that he sent me a picture of his peach mojito one evening because I wanted to be drinking a cocktail on the patio of a nice restaurant overlooking a beach. Putz. But the boys were good to me. They hardly got into trouble, no meltdowns, only one broken bulb, crayon on the wall was washable. Things went smoothly despite not having my usual backup.

Tomorrow we're watching a marching band perform in the neighborhood. The kids will LOVE this!

2009-08-23T21:52:00.002-05:00

Tonight is quiet except for the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher all doing my work for me. The kids are in bed and Rusty is on an airplane going to Pasadena, CA for work this week. I'm jealous he gets maid service, to eat out, sleep in a little and do non-domestic stuff for a few days. I know he's busy working in the day but... I'll get over my jealousy. Maybe I'll take myself out on a self-date next weekend. Just me and a movie ticket.

Meanwhile I've got quick healthy meals planned for the week, stuff to work on, a few shows recorded for the evenings, and a whole bed to myself. Maybe things won't be so bad.

Nel called this evening while I was driving Rusty to the airport. I hesitated whether to answer or not but decided to take the call. I wish I hadn't since it distracted my driving and cut into my last minutes with Rusty before his flight. She was feeling sad about my dad again. She just wanted someone to talk to. I told her I'm seeing a counselor to help deal with my grief and suggested she consider that, but I doubt she will. She gave me two excuses which tells me it's not her thing for whatever reason. She refuses anti-depressant drugs and refuses professional help. I hope she realizes she's not going to get a gold medal for toughing this out. Anyway, she sobbed for a bit telling me how hard it is, that she misses him, that she had no idea it would be this hard, that they had a good thing for a while. She said, "I don't know how you can be so calm. You just don't get it." She means I don't understand her loss, and she's right. I told her she had a passionate love for my dad and I did not. I had a familial love. It stands to reason that her grief will be so different, so much more intense. It also helps that when she calls I happen to be thinking of other things at the time (like driving) and not dwelling things like she is. I have no doubt that if Rusty vanished from my life that I would crumble inward much like her. The difference though, or so I speculate, is that I would seek help from all directions and find some purpose in life to keep going, like raising our children.

Her children are grown, so without professional help or medication or some new purpose, I'm at a loss for suggestions for her. So I just listen, taking it all in, offering words of comfort and hope I don't miss my exit.

2009-08-19T21:19:00.003-05:00

Heartburn is my excuse for ice-cream tonight. :-)

Rusty is feeling under the weather this evening so I got a good double dose of kids this evening. I didn't feel like taking Joshua to karate class with Elliot in tow so we hung out at home watching Penguins of Madagascar before a bubble bath. Most of the siblings at Josh's karate class are either much older than the 3-6 year range or they're babies. Elliot is neither. He wants to be active and there's no play place at the karate school. And it's too hot to hang out outside the whole time. One of us will take him on Saturday instead to make up the missed day. He's doing good in the class. He now has five stripes on his belt, knows most of the moves and has a very good attitude in class. He is, however, very easily distracted and gets called out for that frequently. He's also smart and knows when to behave before the instructor has to reprimand him.

Elliot, my calm charmer, continues to have a language explosion. He's now using two word sentences and repeats new words and sounds constantly. He can say 'bubble bath' and 'up please' and 'go out'. He can also scream MINE! which tells me his brother is trying to take away something. But his favorite word this week is 'cookie'. I think he just likes the way the word sounds and that saying it sometimes results in a treat.

I hear thumping upstairs despite it being an hour past his bedtime. I guess there'll be no TV for me tonight. But tomorrow night, I'll be glued for two hours watching the new season of Project Runway- the only reality show I'm interested in.

2009-08-12T16:31:00.002-05:00

I've been going to counseling for over a month, as some know, to overcome what I once thought was depression that turned out to be "complicated grief". I opted for counseling over the drug that my doctor prescribed, which is another story I'll get into another day. Counseling has opened so many wounds. Anger, grief, disappointment, frustration, self reflection and understanding all mix together in the discussions. Sometimes, like today, I come away exhausted, overcome by the emotional out pore. Other sessions are seemingly more light-weight, depending on the topic. I'm thankful my insurance company is covering these sessions. I don't know what the goal is, at what defining moment I'll be done. I just know that getting it all out to someone, someone who can interpret with a professional view, someone who is impartial and without personal history, is exactly what I needed. While I am usually very private about matters like these, I decided to leak it into my blog. I decided a few well intending people might want to know I am taking care of myself and (hopefully) growing from the ashes of my father's death.

2009-08-08T21:52:00.002-05:00

A friend emailed to a group of mom friends this query:

We are finished with potty training but I was reading an article and don't really understand this. Can someone explain?

Discipline the lazy child. If your child gets busy playing outside, doesn't want to take the time to come in and go to the bathroom, then wets his pants and says he "forgot to go," stick to Dr. Leman's rule that "everyone only gets to use one pair of underwear per day." That means your child won't be able to play any more outside for the day. Then, the next time he'll remember to listen to his bladder.

So, what happens next? They come inside and be naked? Certainly, you don't put the diaper back on?! That makes it way too easy to not pee in the potty.

To which I replied:

We have a rule similar to that. Our limit is one change per day. If he wets his pants, he can have one more set of undies and shorts, plus no more TV or outside time. However, if he wets the second pair of clothes, we either had him go around pant-less (with undies) or put him pajamas early, depending on the time of day. In addition to no kid's shows and no more outside time, I also remind/instruct him to try to potty more frequently like every 30 minutes or hour. At our house, we no longer refer to peed-in pants as "accidents". And I'm flexible in that if his underwear is a little wet but not his shorts then he can keep his underwear if he wants (or trade for clean ones) and there's no penalty. I had to draw a line so he knew exactly when he was in trouble and when it was ok.

This technique gives intentional peeing a very undesirable outcome. On the positive, and because we got desperate, we began praising the good days (and halves of days) with verbal praise, high fives, smiles, shouting woo-hoo!, and even doling out treats like yogurt with candies mixed in, mini chocolate bars, and scoop of ice-cream. When he does good with potty training, he gets a sweet treat, TV, lots of praise and the option to play outside. And when he messes himself, he loses all that (except for praise on all other attempts throughout the day).

I'm happy to report that it seems Joshua has turned a corner and now takes himself more frequently and has fewer wet pants. I'm not sure if it's b/c of our rules or his maturity or physical awareness or some combination, but I am very glad he's finally improving! yay!!

To take it a step further, we also praise him and give a treat for going all-day with no pee in his pants. He loves getting a special treat and the praises that go with it. For a moment, it's all about him and something good he's doing. And I tell him frequently I'm proud of him.

2009-08-06T08:52:00.002-05:00

I am helping my father in-law raise donations to the American Heart Assoc. This follows his own brush with a recent heart attack and stroke. Luckily he's fine, no major medical drama, however it's opened his eyes (and mine) to the importance of living healthy and supporting research and programs to help others experiencing heart conditions. I plan to walk and I've set a goal to raise $375. You can donate too (even as small as $25) by going to: http://heartwalk.kintera.org

Thank you!