Catch-up 2: Birthday Fun

We did celebrate Beccano's birthday, the day after the real occasion. We went to our favorite local Chinese restaurant, and got our favorite waitress, so all was well with that.

Beccano got to open a few presents, knowing that his big gift was that purple amp (a very popular household item at the moment). His gift from Tuba Boy hadn't arrived yet, but it did get here yesterday. It's an incredibly lifelike Kurt Cobain action figure, complete with strings on the guitar, a music stand and a microphone.

His other gift, which he bought with his birthday money, was a music playing device that looks like an old radio but has a turntable, CD player and radio in it...plus an Ipod doc. He is so happy to be playing Lee's and my old albums.



When our meal was over, the waitress brought him a slide of German Chocolate Cake. We all enjoyed it. We'd had so much fun with the waitress that Beccano decided to draw her a picture and write a message in the chocolate syrup. That is one artistic boy. I know he is so talented.

Sigh, I am now off to a conference with his school counselor to find out about taking summer school, because he managed to fail Geometry. He simply does not seem to realize he has not done his work. I have no idea how to fix this, but perhaps summer school will encourage him to not do that any more. I dread hearing the little lecture on "he should do his work" and "you should check the Home Access Center daily to see if he is missing something." Oh well, I'll live.

More updates to come later.

Rock and Roll Sweet 16

Beccano's birthday isn't until next Friday, but he found the gift of his dreams online, and Lee and I went ahead and ordered it for him. We figured it would take forever to ship a huge guitar amp by land, so it was quite a surprise when the UPS guy knocked yesterday, with two huge and heavy packages. Of course I was just coming out of the shower...but I let him bring them in. Then, of course, I could not hide them.

So, I "decorated" them with the signs in this picture. There was a better one of Beccano looking all confused, but the camera was on the setting, so he was rather blurry.


It says "Mysterious Birthday Surprise. What could it be?" Like he didn't know he sent us the link, etc. Don't mind the mess in the "dining room." We still haven't found something to do with Jeff's old entertainment center, so it is greeting all visitors and making me embarrassed, though not as much as the incredible amounts of hair Rose is shedding. Even after her bath and brushings.



He got right down to opening it up. Here he is gracefully tugging at the head. It's purple, as you can see. I think that's why it was nearly 50% off at Guitar Center. Well, he has nothing against purple and it is his dream gift: a Marshall Half Stack. Apparently this is a good amp. Jeff says it is "too big" but I think Beccano's planning on different venues than Jeff frequents.


We moved it to a less obtrusive location, but still in the dining room. I've spent a bit of time today trying to arrange the furniture a bit better in there and the family room. I guess if I am not going to be working much, I can spend my time decluttering (once we have air conditioning, that is).

I only have worked one day this week, and no signed papers for that. But they will be billed, since I worked 9 pm to about 3 am! Weird place, it turns out. I love doing the work and really like the people a lot, but it seems they have less than they said they would. Why oh why can nothing work out positively? But, I am throwing myself back into job search mode. I applied for one I really liked today, but who knows if it will come through. I am about to see if I can just work in a coffee shop or something. My nerves are having trouble coping. At least that ruins my appetite so my weight is good.

We just found out we are getting an all-new air conditioning system for our top floor. Just what the struggling family with college expenses and one barely-employed wage earner needs!

Lots of kid and graduation stuff coming up, so I promise to any of you who are actually still here reading this that there will be some happy fun posts.

Well, Beccano's amp is happy and fun. It is great to listen to! He will have hours and hours of fun trying out different settings and making lots of noise! And it's purple!

A Nice Chatty Update

Well, finally I am caught up a wee bit and can write something! First, I had to do a lot of work in my fine new job. Oh, but that's OK. I love my fine new job, and think this week I'll finally have 5 days of work in, too. I will love that part the most. I get to work from home, in coffee shops, and sometimes in their spartan little office. Working in the office is great because everyone is so freaking NICE. And smart. And funny. What a relief to have that to say after all this time! And they are friendly--I get asked out to lunch and everything!

And look, we have a happy volunteer sunflower to symbolize how nice that is!



Second, I finally got my wonderful new computer, a Dell Studio 17 with red swirly things on it. I guess I should have put a picture of that on here instead of the nice flowers, so OK, I will go find one. Here's what it looks like:



Setting it up was a bit of a challenge. I tried this lovely Windows Vista "Easy Transfer" utility. Oh that was a good one, all right. I spent four hours trying to move files from my beautiful red Dell 15" model, only to end up that nothing transferred except all the user accounts. Great. All that was during a very stressful work emergency, too, which meant that the time I had planned to spend on Thursday of last week blogging was spent working all night. But, it's OK...

I like the computer a lot now. The high-resolution screen is awesome. I can really see all those incredibly detailed PowerPoints I have to edit, and I look forward to Articulate 09 work on them (that is fun and expensive instructional design software I get to use. woo hoo. I moved all the pictures, all the software and everything else I need. Now I just have to set up Quicken so I can be an Independent Contractor Who Files Her Taxes Right and all will be well. I also got a really nice mouse, which is a red curved USB one from Microsoft (I know, boo, hiss) that folds up into a little egg shape for easy travel. So, now I am little miss modern worker. And it is good for play, too!!




Our garden is getting just lovely. This is one of our roses from last year. All of them are blooming beautifully, including the tiny red ones. We'd thought the wildflower bed Lee planted was a bust, but to the contrary, it's gone nuts--there is even a big ole pink poppy in there now! Lots of phlox in various colors, some white things, sunflowers from last year and such. I see basil coming up from last year, and we have all kinds of onions going. And at last the tomatoes have started to grow. Our soil is so bad for them, but the more compost Lee puts on, the better!



After Thursday of last week, things got good. I had a ton of fun at work on Friday, then went to Pilar's surprise 40th birthday party. The next two photos are stolen from Cindy (hey, thanks, Cindy), but I took a whole bunch of photos of her, so I know she won't mind me borrowing a couple. To prove I really was there, this is a photo of my and Diane. We had been enjoying the beer. The food was great, too. MMMMM. The best part, though was that Pilar was actually surprised, mainly because no one told Miss T. it was going to happen. A 5-year-old can't hold info like that in!


Here you see Pilar in her sweet 16 birthday sash, still looking a bit overwhelmed, while Lee tries to tell Miss T something and I show how bad my posture really is. At right is Pat telling a joke. That happened a lot. We all had a very good time, and what was even better was that our husbands got to know each other, too. Lee and Cindy's husband (Bryan with a y I think), had a nice manly chat on the patio about power tools. We all kept saying how nice it would be to do more social things. Of course, we can't rent a beautiful club house every time. The one the party was at is just in the next neighborhood from here. Maybe we should rent our clubhouse some time!



And finally, what is the first "real" post of May without a Maypole photo? We had a really nice one at church on Sunday, and here is proof. We also did our choir concert, with was Schubert's Mass in G. We actually pulled it off, thanks to a whole bunch of additional recruits and two wonderful borrowed soloists, plus a fine accompanist. I enjoyed it a lot.

OK, that is enough blogging and photos for one post. I should save something up to write about later in the week, huh? Thanks for your patience while I was feeling upset and/or busy. Everything is good now, even if it's different.

A Long Time Ago

Baby Tuba Boy 2 mo
Originally uploaded by sunasak

18 years ago today, this little person showed up. I'd worked so hard to prepare for a lovely natural childbirth. It was really cold, too, in Urbana, Illinois that day. We have lots of photos of me looking large holding snowballs. I remember on January 14th driving to the hospital and feeling like I was going to die every time we hit one of those "road humps" that melting and refreezing ice cause on the roads up there.

But, by 6 am the next morning it was clear he was not exiting the normal way, so they got him out the other way. I was really disappointed about this, and so worried I'd get paralyzed form the spinal injection, but I lived. My strongest memory is when the midwife brought this little bundle around to me and a messy, wet head was looking at me. They took a picture, and he and I were both amazed looking. I swear, he LOOKED like the little thing in the sonograms! I recognized him!

Tuba Boy was the best baby ever, even though I was in total learning mode through his entire infancy. I think he was the first infant I ever knew. So, I talked to him a lot, mostly to tell him "thank you" for sleeping a lot. When he was awake, he was the most cheerful, sweet and funny guy ever (just like today). He learned to talk very early; his first word was "moon," uttered when we went into the back yard to look at a particularly lovely full moon. He pointed at it and said, "Moon!" as clear as a bell. He went on to make up a lot of words, to the endless joy of friends and family. He called music "Bydoo" and called our friends' cuckoo clock the "Bydoo Clock" for example. I remember him being pretty tiny as I walked him around the neighborhood and at every round object he said, "Ball." Over and over. One fun baby.

Today, Tuba Boy is one fine 18-year-old young man. He is still about the most verbal person i know. That kid can talk fast, and he loves to argue his viewpoints with anyone who'll engage with him. His sense of humor is not barbed, just sweet and hilarious. And he is a wonderful friend. Former Lovely Girlfriend really made a mistake, because he really treats women he cares about respectfully and kindly. He has such impressive morals and beliefs too--it is quite appropriate that he shares a birthday with Martin Luther King, Jr., who is one of his heroes.

Of course, the wonderful Tuba Boy has flaws. He procrastinates most irritatingly (I wonder if his college application materials are in the mail...?). He has a typical teen male ego in that he really doesn't think too much of the family's needs. He's pretty durned messy. And he could do a bit better at communicating with the family, though he's improving lately. But, that stuff just makes him human.

I have enjoyed the past 18 years in his company. He made my life worthwhile. When you first have a baby you think, "Wow, I am stuck with this person for the next 18 years!" but you know, I hope I am stuck with him a lot longer. I know he needs to go and stretch and find his own way, but I hope the bond we have will stay strong. I'll try to stay strong, though I think it will kill me to be without him, for quite some time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TUBA BOY!!!

And I'll be back to raving about Lee and Beccano next time!

The Sweetest 15-Year-Old, etc.

Ski Beanie
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I know I have put lots of pix of Beccano in here lately, but hey, he's around all the time. Today I need to honor the boy, though, because it's his 15th birthday. And no matter how down I feel about other stuff, having him around makes me happy. How could you not love someone who tries to sabotage your photo of his new hat by hiding crossed eyes under the bangs he is trying to grow out?

We'd hoped to give him a good start on a new guitar fund (he wants a pretty nice one), but the latest job loss for me means I can't do it quite yet. I did make him the hat in the picture, which is made from a cotton/cashmere blend, so it's a NICE hat. I just wish he didn't want me to always knit in BLACK. I ordered him some heavy metal t-shirts and what he calls an "Emo Bag" (a messenger bag), so he will have some gifts, plus the ice cream cake already in the freezer. He asked for a Chinese dinner, which is easily accomplished, so he should have a good birthday. I hope he has some fun in addition to his finals today at school!

It's funny, when Tuba Boy turned 15, I really didn't see him being ready to learn to drive, but Beccano I think is ready. He doesn't want a car, though, unless he can get a VW Vanagon and convert it to biodeisel, which he would make himself. He has already priced all these things. Dream on, Beccano.

There isn't much news here. I have applied to about 15 jobs, and found that I had left an 8 off of 2008 in my resume. Great. I did manage to repost it most places, but SHEESH.

Yesterday I didn't feel too hot, so I spent most of the day at the yarn shop, which was pleasant, though I got some pretty awful anxiety symptoms a couple of times (I am still doing better than usual, just, heck, sometimes the jobless thing gets scary). I enjoy talking to the staff and the Chicks with Sticks when they arrive. Some of them are so incredibly kind to me. It makes me feel like I CAN be part of a group and respected and liked, even if I'll never be a "cool kid." I just want to be part of a group, like I used to be in the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization.

Speaking of which, I need to send all my best wishes to my friends and former employees there, if they are reading. For them, let me share the quote on my May calendar page from the job that ended in November (I plan to hang it on the wall):

"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." --Joshua J. Marine

I wish us all meaningful lives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BECCANO!!

45 years later...

Suna at 5 or 6
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Here I am at age 5. I remember I had to practice not squinting up that one eye when I smiled. I remember my original eyebrows, too, and wish I had them back.

But today I am 50. Half a century gone, over half my life lived unless those Canova family genes really took hold.

I celebrated at lunch today by going outside to eat a sandwich and look at old things: all the turtles in the Turtle Pond near the UT Tower. They have moss growing on their shells, and seemed quite content to be blinking sleepily and enjoying the sunshine. It reminded me that there is good to reflecting on your life in a slow and thoughtful way. I saw a shadow and looked up to see a tiger swallowtail swooping up and down in the brisk wind. That reminded me that I am always changing. The butterfly led my attention to my left, where I saw a plant about 12 feet tall. It had no leaves, only huge thorns. But it also had a beautiful array of white flowers, the size of apple blossoms. The contrast of the thorns and flowers reminded me that there will always be beauty and danger in life.

With that little lesson all wrapped up, I was ready to face the rest of my day. So many of my friends have had huge parties, celebrations and events for turning 50. I honestly don't feel like it, and I know Lee isn't big on celebrations, so we will just have a nice dinner once my dad gets here on Friday. I'll raise a Starbucks toast to myself and Suzanne (tomorrow she is 50) at the knitting group, then sing in the choir as usual. A low-key, pleasant start to the next half century.

I did get a lovely freshwater pearl necklace and earrings from Lee, hand-made by his talented boss. I will TRY to share a photo of it, if I am home at the office desk enough any day soon to do so. Tomorrow will feature a lot of cleaning and straightening for the Parental Visit, but I'll try!

Have you been wondering how the new job is going? Well, it is just fine--there are a lot of details on arcane accounting mainframe applications to learn and I am trying to not be jealous that I am not on the web team. They have the fun jobs. Heh, reminds me of wishing I was on that other team at the previous place! But, here I will have lots of opportunities. It's a bit claustrophobic, but everyone is nice. Once I get a couple of books and plants in here, it will be OK, even though I can't turn around, the desk is so small.

The bus will take some getting used to, but is still better than driving all this way. I only have to drive 5-6 miles rather than 30-40. While the buses have wi-fi, they are so cramped I can't open the computer, so forget that. I have managed to knit some, though!

I think things will settle in just fine. I just need to adjust, which will happen.

Tuba Boy Birthday Dinner

Tuba Boy Birthday Dinner
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Just a quick post to share one photo from Tuba Boy's birthday. They are acting pretty maniacal there (but this is better than the photo looking up Beccano's nose, which I didn't even upload to Flickr). Now you may understand why there's a snifter there, which is drained of delicious Drambuie at that point.

Actually, it was a nice birthday for Tuba Boy, even with few gifts. I got him a sizable Sonic gift card, which made him happy, and Lee put money in the bank for him, so combined with other relatives' contributions, he got good birthday cash (to spend on candy and soda, from what I can determine of his spending habits). Beccano got him two CDs he really wanted, and Debate Girl got him two cute t-shirts. All good.

As a special treat, we went to Z Tejas, a restaurant that just opened a branch near our house (finally, a more formal restaurant near our house!). We had some really good entrees, with fish for me and Beccano and Mexican things for Lee and Tuba Boy. Other than Lee not liking his cole slaw (it had cilantro and other mystery seasonings in it), all went down mighty quickly. For a Stick Boy, that TB sure could eat. He downed his whole chicken entree and tried some of everyone else's too. It is so nice to see him eating well, given his weight.

And of course we all had dessert. The men all had beautiful Reese's cheesecake and I had berry cobbler. All good.

And that's the birthday report! Today's my stepmother's big day, so I will call her. And I hope Jeff is returning to Austin today or tomorrow. He spent a long time in Florida caring for his mother, and it really has wiped him out. I know he'll be glad to get back to his old routines.

Cheer

General

These little marigolds represent all the flowers we planted in the back yard on Monday when we took a day off from work (and Lee even got paid for it!). Flowers tend to cheer me up, too, and the word "cheery" seems to be my word of the week. I used it every day in my tarot blog this week. No telling why, unless I am subliminally trying to keep my own spirits up.

It's getting harder and harder to keep plugging away, even though I can tell myself that one of the many positions I am up for will come through eventually (the recruiting company is still working on that interview for the good one--not out of it yet). I can also tell myself that Austin's Largest Employer will end the hiring freeze in the next week or two, then I can finally either get the job I interviewed for across the street from here or get another one in my own dept. (Noting that with the quality of projects assigned lately, that looks less and less appetizing.) I only have 40 hours left on the contract, so it's really coming down to the wire, though. Hard to believe it has been over 8 months already! And I got my big love prize from this job, anyway, so it will go down as a success, regardless.

What is going on? Last weekend was good. We really got a lot accomplished in the yard. Lee has been so industrious and patient, and it shows. You can walk ALL over the back yard now. What a guy! Here's a blow-by-blow of recent days:

Specific

Last Friday was a coffeehouse concert, the Austin Lounge Lizards. We coped with the crowds pretty well, and Lee pitched right in and helped with set-up and keeping food available on the break. My friend Janet showed up later, and that was a big bonus. She seems so happy in Arkansas—it’s weird to have both of us happy in relationships, for the first time since we have known each other. It’s just good to see good things happening to your friends. After the concert, we all went to Juniors, where a drunken softball dad with a blue and yellow face (local high school colors) tried to sell us gutters. I was in such a good mood that I found it VERY amusing.

Yes, I was in a really good mood most of the past week. Not sure why, either. I guess having Lee around and thinking positive has worked.

Saturday I did the usual knitting, but at least taught a different class. I got two people on their way to making cute cable bags and another one making a nice lace dishcloth. Woo. Jody didn’t show up again, so that was a bummer. It was a quiet Saturday, so I got to have some nice conversations, though. Always good to relax. After a bit of yard work, Lee and I went over to Bill and Carolyn’s, where we joined the rest of Trey Bone plus spouse, along with Janet VS and Craig F (minus spouses). Mostly it was a good time, though I have to be careful around some church folks, so was a bit guarded. We drank Bill’s home brewed beer and ate homemade pizza. That was quite fun. After everyone played darts, to Bill’s very specific rules, we had birthday cake for Lee. I had bought a black-and-white cake from the grocery store, and it was WAY better than we’d have expected! Paying extra for a “premium” cake means good frosting and better cake. People even had seconds.

Sunday was Lee’s actual birthday. Whew, we are the same age again! To celebrate, we skipped church and had our own fun. We took the Younger Boy with us for a day out, since his brother was off on his band trip to New York. We first saw every house Lee ever lived in within the Round Rock area. Then we went out to lunch at a good Chinese buffet (even the sushi was edible, and most buffet sushi is scary). That made YB’s day. After that we drove out into Hill Country and looked at redbud, plum and other blooming trees. We even saw a couple of very early bluebonnets. A little gift shop in Burnet called our names, so we stopped and found some gems amid the “interesting” overly Texas-themed items. We got a wooden wall plaque to put on the outside of the house (a floral pattern), a lovely mesquite chalice, and for me a lampwork beaded pendant. It turns out the lady at the shop makes beads. That was quite fun to look at—her work is lovely. After the buying frenzy, we drove out to Work Boy #2’s house, where we got to pet the horse and goats, and see two incredibly precious puppies they are fostering. One looks JUST like an ewok. Or a living teddy bear. Here's a link to his photo, at least while he is up for adoption... Mostly we were visiting to get some tea I ordered and show the YB all the WB’s toys—it’s action figure world over in rural Burnet County, like heaven for YB! Anyway, we had fun, then raced home to avoid rain storms.

Monday we did not go to work. That is to stretch out my work time, mainly. Also, we needed a break. So, the skies cleared enough that we could totally get rid of the contents of the mosquito factory known as my garden pond (the root ball to which was MIGHTY huge). We turned it into a planter, rearranged things on the patio and were mighty pleased with ourselves. Then Lee, YB and I went to the Home Depot and got a lot of plants, and a wine barrel to put flowers in. The barrel still smells like wine, which has made the back yard quite fragrant during the recent rains. We (mostly Lee) planted the flowers and hung my decorative plaque, and now it looks great in the yard. In addition to tomatoes and peppers for the former water garden, there are a lot of marigolds, which may not be happy in the shade, but they will be great for a while, anyway. I also got a bunch of begonias, knowing they will do fine (the one from previous years is coming back for a fourth year—not bad for an annual). Nicer plants will have to wait until I have a job!

Now, have we enjoyed those new plants? Not much, since it has rained all week. But, of course, the rain is very welcome. The work week has been pretty standard, the usual irritations, then resting a lot in the evenings. The Older Boy came back from his trip very late, so I spent Tuesday night worrying about him, but all was well. Just rain delays. We heard all about his trip last night, and I think he had enough fun to make it worth it. He really seemed to like seeing where Saturday Night Live is filmed.

Off to sit and wait for the phone to ring. It does ring, at least, so recruiters are out there recruiting for me. Go them. My dearest pal NJ got a “real” job this week, so I feel hope. She so deserves a good job after all that time at the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization! I’m thinking a lot about the stuff going on for so many of my friends, too. It’s a lot to think about, and I know positive thoughts help. I appreciate all of YOURS for the job stuff!

Just Being Alive

I am happy to just be alive, at the ripe old age of 49. I was a bit down last night, thinking I was this old and still not able to support myself, but honestly, I think I will support myself--the answer to how just isn't here yet.

I also was a bit bummed by some other weekend stuff, but I am getting over it. Just the usual birthday blahs and feeling sorry for myself.

Some nice stuff did happen this weekend. I had 6 in my knitting class on Saturday, and that is always good. All really quick learners, too. What fun! And I have been playing with a shrug out of the Noro Aurora yarn I just finished a lovely scarf in (picture to come, once blocked). I just like the yarn; all shiny and pretty colors.

We had a tarot gathering on Saturday night, and we celebrated the lunar eclipse and did a ritual to bring us all the work energy we needed. We had more dogs than people, as you can see from the picture, which has all 5 dogs in it, somewhere. Tina brought the sweet and calm Valentine, who you can see looks surprisingly like Rose. Rose's shiny, wavy coat, her head shape, and her markings were pretty similar to Valentine's. So, perhaps ole Rosie has more border collie in her than anything scary and huge (whew). She is still the most amusing puppy ever, the way she flies through things and lands so awkwardly.

Anyway, Tina, Shannon, Lee and I had a nice time and enjoyed many candles, and the end of the eclipse. We would see a bit better in the back yard than usual, because Lee has been intrepidly hacking away at tree branches. He's almost got the back yard in usable condition. Shocking.

More shocking was the fact that he and I neatened up the garage on Sunday. This is all exciting because I literally hadn't touched a thing in it since the Ex left. Jeff has put his music stuff in there, and thrown a lot of boxes in piles, but that is about it. Lee and I made space for his scary motorcycle, cleaned up, and got rid of a lot of junk. Stuff we were keeping got put on SHELVES--what a concept! So, I am pretty proud of that, and grateful that Lee would help with such a dirty job. I am lucky.

He was really sweet and said happy birthday to me in joys and concerns at church, too, and said how nice everyone has been to him. I am so glad he enjoys it. I was so tired of going by myself and being alone at church. He's been asked to play bass for some instrumental thing at a service, and that is so nice, too. Good to be a part of a couple that can do things together.

Last night was supposed to be the family birthday dinner, but Jeff got a gig and could not come. But the rest of us ate at a Texas Road House steakie place. We were cramped into a tiny corner space and could barely get out--my poor sister really looked smooshed. But it was nice to have everyone there.

So, things are not bad. Work may turn up soon--lots of possibilities. And I got kind wishes from many of my friends, which I really appreciate. I am also reminded that a lot is going on for many friends, and I am thinking of all the sicknesses, deaths, and other sad things going on. There's always so much good AND bad at any time. Just glad to have my hilarious kids, sweet work friends, wonderful other friends and my precious manly companion to support me.

Ooh, and I think Jeff may have a job prospect. Woo.