Sunday, August 28, 2005

Se habla espanol

I wish I had something poignant and meaningful to write after just over a week off from being either a computer geek or a mom, but I don't. I do want to say that where we were in Cancun really was nearly an hour south of Cancun at an all-inclusuve resort that wasn't. Wasn't an all-inclusive, that is.

T bitched mercilessly about how it was a disappointment (of course, in more colorful words) compared to his trip to Jamaica, and I didn't think it was too bad except for the manmade belly button of a beach and the fact that I couldn't snorkel anywhere interesting without having to pay more money than I would have in the US. I thought Mexico was supposed to be an American dollar's dream come true, but in fact, Quintana Roo has figured out how to wrestle every last American dollar out of even the most stingy hand under the guise of entertainment.

T was ready to leave on Sunday, three days into our seven day trip, but I said that if I went home my vacation from Motherhood would abruptly cease. I had carte blanche to drink without guilt and resist the urge to select only food that Ava could eat and also cut up the food into tiny pieces.

The ultimate highlights of my trip were a woman named Karla who taught Spanish classes once a day and finally gave me the confidence to make random Spanish grammar catastrophes and not even wince. Plus she taught me all the tasty words she could think of and a fabulous saying that I won't share because there may be children within fifty feet of this posting. Ask me though, I'll tell.

The second highlight that came because of an unfortunate arguement between the water of Mexico and my digestive system, was that I got to read a whole grown up book without pictures in one day. At long last I read Kite Runner and it was such a fabulous grown up book with no rhyming words or technicolor pictures on the pages and I felt, well, like a grown up.

I missed my little girl, don't get me wrong, I missed her something wicked, but not enough to hop on a plane and come back. She was cared for probably even better than by me at the hands of my sister-in-law. She took a long nap at the same time every day; she went to bed without much arguement at the same time every night. I would love for that to happen at home.

T and I both learned that we are not all-inclusive resort type people. I know that I am more the type to have a boarding pass in hand and arrive at a foreign destination with only my first one or two nights reserved and then improv the rest. This way could suit T as well, as he tends to feel trapped after a couple nights in one place. I learned that when you go on vacation with a six other of people that are all used to being the Chief, that it's hard to decide what to do and someone ends up getting offended if you don't want to eat at the same time as everyone else.

Now, as I aimlessly sprint from the beaten track, I did have a good time, stomach upsets notwithstanding. For a whole week I didn't have to worry about putting Ava to bed, did she nap, what did she eat.

For a whole week, I got to be me. I'm looking forward to the next trip and seeing myself again.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Moment of calm

For just this morning I can almost remember what it was like to be single.

The house is silent, Ava and T are absent from my morning rituals. Ava's loud request to get her out of her crib didn't wake me, nor did T stomping around. (On the hardwood floors, even the cats sound like they're stomping.)

No, for the morning it was just me and the cats. I made tea, ate banana bread that I made last night, which wasn't bad, but not so good that I'll share the recipe. I substituted some wheat flour and ground almonds for white flour and it's not quite moist enough.

I need to leave for work, but it's so still, so silent here, like the moment before or after a storm that I hesitate. Moments of calm don't come as often anymore and I want to draw the moment out, stretched long like bubble gum until the moment is clearly gone.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Little person, big love

Who knew you could love a little person so much?

T took Ava down to my brother's today where she's going to be cared for and loved by my bro, his wife, and their two little girls while T and I go play in Cancun.

The house feels so empty without Ava or T around. Sure, I'm looking forward to hanging out on the beach and making use of my snorkel, or doing things that are none-of-the-Internet's business, but being apart from my little girl makes me see how much I adore her.

Magi, my black and white cat, has started kneading my stomach, so it's time to go. Good night, Internet.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

When it hurts to sit down

I will admit here, in the privacy of the Internet, that I went to a tanning salon today. I didn't try the new spray-on tan, maybe because of that one Friends episode. Instead I settled for the regular, lay down, be blasted by UV rays.

I wouldn't normally go, except T & I leave for Cancun in a week and my winter-white body just isn't ready for the kind of sun, the volume of sun that hangs out in Cancun in August. T suggested I hang out somewhere sunny over the weekend, but since I'm growing out the hair on my legs so I can get waxed before going to Cancun so I don't have to shave every five minutes, the thought of exposing translucent, hairy legs to the world just wasn't appealing.

Between client engagements today I dropped in at a tanning place close to work and did the deed.

I chose the more expensive, "less likely to burn" tanning bed, slathered on some lotion that the clerk recommended for the fair skinned and sensitive nosed (because I didn't want to smell like tanning bed), but my ghostly behind never saw it coming.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Idiosyncratic Tag

Stef tagged me to list 5 of my idiosyncrasies. I had to read her list for ideas as to the nuances about me...

1. I have to make the bed in the morning. The house looks "clean enough" to me if the bed is made.

2. I love big fat crayola markers. I have a big butterfly box of them. I always look for new colors when I go to Target.

3. I hate when people call the toilet the "potty." Kill me if I ever use that word with Ava.

4. I get most irritated when I'm told that I can't do something because I'm a woman. As far as I can tell, the only thing I can't do as well as a man is pee standing up!

5. I need structure, but if I have more than two things planned in a day I feel anxious and trapped.

Now I tag Piepa Regbu!

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Headlights covered under warranty

I met an angel today. I'll call him Joe, because he looked like a Joe.

When I went to go drop off my car this morning at VW for it's overdue 40K maintenance and a couple of warranty items, Joe was there. I wasn't expecting the doors to the shop to be open yet because it was only 7:21AM and I knew they opened at 7:30, but the doors were wide open, the lights were on, and there was Joe.

I told him when he was typing all my car info in the computer that I was surprised to see the shop open before 7:30 or even 7:45, but he said he made it a habit to come in a bit early so he could attend to people as they arrived and not have a group of toe-tappers with car keys in hand as he was fumbling to open doors. No, Joe likes to arrive early so he can send people on their way to work.

Joe asked me all kinds of questions about the two things that trouble me about my VW Cabrio...more specific questions than anyone has asked me before, although I've had VW look at these same problems a few times. He didn't make me feel like I knew nothing about cars because I don't have extra dangly bits between my legs.

The bonus though, was that my burnt out headlight was under warranty! Imagine! A headlight under warranty!

Unfortunately someone else from VW called and said that I need new brakes, which didn't surprise me, and a couple new belts so my A/C and power steering continue to cool and steer, coming up to $1100 more than I expected (ouch!)...but that's just what happens when cars get driven. Things wear down and need to be replaced. But at least the headlight was free!