No monitor

In case you've wondered what happened to me, nothing. It's the computer. All of a sudden it didn't like the monitor anymore. We have another monitor in the garage, but it's been cold outside. Today I actually brought in the Christmas boxes but forgot the monitor. So I'm borrowing Dominic's laptop. I've always been able to borrow it, but I don't think about it until he turns it on.

What you've missed: one Sunday morning we were rushing around like usual, when I noticed the degu cage was open and empty (I'm not a fan of scurrying animals). Dominic! Help!! He came rushing into the kids' room, found and caged the free-roaming rodents.

It's amazing Dominic came rushing in so quickly, because he was knocked out from taking pain meds for torticollis, or wry neck. It happened fairly suddenly and painfully. He wore a neck brace until he could see a doctor and start physical therapy. He is doing so much better now. But the effect is that now the boys put on the neck brace (or anything resembling a neck brace) and say, "I'm Daddy. Look at me! I'm Daddy."

And of course, Thanksgiving. Dominic's brother Devin came down from Idaho, and we all went to Emily and Troy's house. The Abbotts and the Pauls were there, too. The house is large enough that the kids can play while the adults talk, and they don't interfere with eachother. Very nice. The Smalleys and Abbotts helped me a lot when I was a student, so to return the favor we sent Devin back to school with a trunk full of food; I'm glad we could do that for him.

On Saturday we helped our downstairs neighbors move. They were great neighbors - the kids never bothered them, even when jumping off the furniture. They are moving into a house, so I'm happy for them and hope our new neighbors will also tolerate our noise.

Crazy day

It all started this morning when Benjamin woke me up by carrying an unopened bottle of root beer and asking if he could have some. I said no and rolled over. A little later I heard Sammy say, "Good job. You opened it all by yourself." Uh-oh. So I went to the kitchen and found that Sammy had gotten 2 cups and poured them both half full of milk. And since Benjamin opened the root beer (how? he can't even open doors!), I reached the kitchen just in time. I poured the root beer and made them brown cows, because I was so impressed with their determination.

After breakfast Dominic worked on breaking down a box spring mattress that someone gave us but didn't fit in the boys' room. The boys "helped" by hitting the bed frame with hammers. They kept saying they were building Noah's ark.

Then I started making grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and I turned on the wrong burner. I melted a clock, which I had left on the stove. Dominic suggested that I turn on the burner to melt off the plastic stuck to the burner. It worked great until a glob of plastic, which had fallen onto the catch plate, caught on fire. Barely keeping my wits about me, I quickly placed a pot lid over the burner and put out the fire. Of course Sammy kept asking if a firetruck was going to come. Sorry, I didn't burn down the kitchen, just scorched the stove. I opened the front and side doors, but the smell lingered until I cooked dinner. While the doors were open, a big dog came in. Not a stray; it wore a collar. He left easily, but it was very strange.

After lunch I took a nap. I've needed one for awhile, and this morning's excitement cinched the fact. But I was good - I set the alarm. However, I slept through the alarm, taking a 3-hour nap. Wow, that was a long nap. Now it's past midnight and I'm still going strong. Fortunately nothing exciting happened for the rest of the day.

Movie review: Ocean's Thirteen. A lot of fun like the previous two. There were funny little side stories, and they brought back their targets from the last 2 films. I especially enjoyed the parts with Oprah. The movie also reminded me of how much I don't like Las Vegas. Walk into any casino, and it's an instant headache from the lights and noise.

Cat in the garage

I feel so productive this weekend. On Friday I packed away all the kids' summer and out-grown clothes. Then on Saturday I put away the Halloween decorations. Fortunately we don't have any Thanksgiving decorations, because I don't have the motivation to put up anything for it. And I still need to sort through my clothes - all my winter, summer and pregnancy clothes are piled around the room, and I think the piles are merging. The best part about puttting the boxes in the garage is that I found our cat.

She occasionally disappears for a few days at a time, so I wasn't worried about not seeing her since Tuesday (the day I brought out the winter clothes). Walking toward the garage I heard loud and pitiful mewing. When I opened the door, she ran out and immediately celebrated by rolling in the dirt. She followed me around like a puppy dog and even let the kids catch her. She has been sitting in my lap a lot more this weekend, even if Elisa is already in my arms (the cat usually doesn't like getting her fur pulled by a curious baby).

By the way, Elisa is turning over! She did it the first time last week. Then she turned over again today and started crying; I guess it scared her :)

Scared of the dark

There is a reason I stopped watching the crime dramas CSI and Without a Trace: their yuckiness outweighs their interesting science. Tonight was a special 2-hour event with a case beginning on CSI and concluding on Without a Trace. Dominic and I both thought it would be interesting, and the shows started after the kids were put to bed, so why not? Yes, the shows were interesting, and I watched them both to see the conclusion. However, I covered my eyes or looked away quite a bit, a habit I got from my dad, who routinely covers his face with a pillow during movies. Sometimes I just don't want to see that stuff (even if it is just make-up).

The shows' side-effect on me is an intense fear of the dark. I was in the middle of doing laundry, and there was one last load in the dryer. Normally I don't mind going outside and down the unlit back stairs to the laundry room. But tonight was tough, and Dominic needs his work clothes by 5 am tomorrow. I couldn't leave it until daylight. Oh, that was a tough trip. I kept thinking of horrible scenarios about me or my family until I was back inside my apartment with the doors locked. Those shows just aren't worth that kind of agony.

Movie review: The Pursuit of Happyness. I first became aware of this story when I read two essays, one by Chris Gardner and the other by Will Smith. I was impressed with how Gardner overcame the odds and found success. I was also interested to learn that Smith's son portrayed Gardner's son in the movie. But even knowing the end, it was a difficult movie to get through. His life went from bad to worse to unbelievable. The two main things going for him were his optimism and determination. This is the epitome of the "American dream," and I hope I never have to go through anything like it in my life.

Cute Benjamin story: On a humorous note, Benjamin is a climber. The other day we visited a car museum. I chatted politely with the tour guide as we entered. In my periphery I saw the kids vanish. When I looked behind me, Sammy was crawling on the floor (he's 4! when do they grow out of this?) and Benjamin was nowhere. I immediately began walking down the aisle and calling his name, when I heard a cheerful, "Here, Mommy!" He was happily perched in a 1911 Knox (for a picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox_Automobile) The donor had spent 20 years restoring it. He was so cute and happy I wanted to take a picture. But to be a good parent, I sternly made him get down.

Mexican food

Beware of ordering food in another language. Dominic sent me to get some food from an authentic Mexican restaurant. Since the menu was in Spanish, I was a little hesitant but thought I knew enough to understand a menu. However, when Dominic asked me what I got, I said, "Carne asada, a burrito, miso something-or-other, and something else I can't remember." He laughed and said he looked forward to a surprise meal. It turned out that I did in fact order carne asada, and a smothered green burrito. The miso was actually Mole, and finally soup, which I didn't realize I got at the time. But it was all delicious, so I think I did a good job despite the language barrier.

Movie review: Jackie Chan's The Myth. I really enjoyed this one. I liked how it blended the past and present, history and fantasy, and the various Asian cultures. The martial arts and stunts were fun to watch, of course. The cinematography was beautiful. The ending was very non-American; I appreciated it that way, because it felt more Chinese, like The House of Flying Daggers. Yes, I recommend The Myth.

Happy Birthday, Sammy

Left to right:
Benjamin, Elisa and Sammy
Happy girl!
Elisa and Sammy playing
Benjamin!
"I've got my toes. I'm good."

Sammy is 4 today! Wow, that was a fast four years. He's really funny. Observant, too. Dominic was sick and someone asked Sammy if he was going to take care of his Dad. Sammy said, "No, I don't do that. I'm just a kid. Mommy takes care of Daddy." He can make his brother and sister laugh like no one else can, especially when they're feeling upset. He is a good big brother (as long as no one takes his toys). In church they often talk about who is influencing our children the most and that it should be us, the parents. My goal is to teach him how to be happy, even through life's difficulties. I love that boy so much. His smile brightens my day. Happy birthday, son.