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February 28, 2005
the problem is...
This is the problem:
I am too good of a Brownie leader to quit. I mean, what troop goes ICE FISHING?
Plus, our troop did a cookie "booth" sale in a local drug store this weekend as well, and they had such a blast doing things like calculating totals and making change.
I'm thinking that we'll simply drop down to one intense, three-hour meeting a month next year. That way, we can still sell cookies, and do fun stuff, but I won't have to plan meetings where everyone expects us to do crafts
Posted by mryonker at 03:32 PM | Comments (5)
February 25, 2005
it's funny now
Monster toddler is working some molars out. His nose runs so constantly that the minute I swipe it, he's got another bubble, trickle, or glob at the ready.
He drools so much that we've had to change his shirt and onesie thrice today.
And he isn't sleeping so well, so he ended up between us last night.
Near 3am, Brad Pitt and I are having a run on the beach. I look over at him, and he leans in (to whisper in my ear? brush his lips on my cheek?), and WHAM! he head butts me in the brow and starts ripping my eyelids.
Ouch. OK, OK, I'm awake. Leave me a few eyelashes, will ya?
Posted by mryonker at 10:38 PM | Comments (3)
February 23, 2005
me getting stuff done (productivity)
Krista posts about her productivity schedule now compared to before she was injured.
Here, again, a moment for me to pipe up: mothers are differently-abled beings. Now, I don't say this for sympathy (I'm over it, Mom). And I don't mean to say that mothers don't choose their lot as mothers (though some don't get to choose, really).
Once motherhood begins, though, the ability to DO FOR ONE'S SELF dwindles, especially when it comes to choosing what to do with one's time.
Krista's description of her before-injury schedule made me stop: do people really get to live like that? Where from the time you step from the shower, til the time you need to pause to feed yourself, you are virtually UNINTERRUPTED.
What does a usual work day look like for me? Well, I actually have TWO workdays. The homework day, and the schoolwork day.
The school work day, of which this semester I get two a week (T and TH), looks like this:
700 up, quick in-bathroom yoga, shower
730-830 (this X4 kids) feed, clean, dress, brush hair/teeth, pack lunches, find homework, find show-n-tell, find boots/coats, put on bus, leave for campus
930-1030 some sort of exercise, unless I have a deadline or committee meeting or mini-seminar
1030-1230 try to find somewhere to hide on campus where no one will bother me so I can read. Read, find lunch.
1230-200 research design class
200-500 network(ed) rhetorics class OR digital writing (the class I'm a TA for)
600-800 Brownie meeting, or board meeting, or trustees' meeting
800-1000 struggle to get kids to bed (sometimes VERY successful, sometimes NOT) Try to find something besides a frozen corn dog for dinner.
1000-1200 Read/work, fighting the urge to sleep the entire time
[Notice how NOT ONE bit of housework gets done on these days]
The other days, MWF, look like this:
700 up and MAYBE shower, or I might try to sleep an extra half hour
730-830 kids ready and off
900 take Jack to school
930-1130 Grocery shop, run errands
1200 get Jack from school
1230 feed boys, put Josh down for nap. Shower if I didn't that morning. Do dishes. Do laundry. Pick up toys. Try to read.
230 Josh wakes up (if I'm lucky, sometimes he only sleeps for 45 minutes). Play with him, let him do the dishes with me. Sneak in some email.
300-500 Get dinner ready. Do more laundry. Girls get home @330 so it's unpacking backpacks, breaking up arguments, making snacks, pick up, pick up, pick up.
600-800 Feed dinner; try to sneak out for a run. Do the bath relay. Read bedtime stories, get more snacks.
800 Collapse on couch with laptop to watch TV and blog. Shower if I got that run (lately I haven't been).
1000 Move to bed to "read for real," though now with the wireless it's getting harder to separate "real" from "not".
1200 Fall asleep; drool on Weinberger or whoever.
Weekends I get a little time at night to read, normally 2 ish hours, but nothing during the day. Saturdays we have dance until lunch, and then the afternoons are always too noisy to get anything but loud housework done. Sundays I try to train in the morning, and then I've used up the "me" time for that day, so again, I get very little work done.
If I'm calculating this correctly, I get about 18-20 hours of reading done a week. I am a slooow reader, too.
This is scary to me. I feel like there are going to have to be some big changes around here if I am ever going to get this degree done.
I have already decided that next fall I will not return as the Brownie leader. Three years I've logged--that's enough, right? Plus, I really should dump the committee work that I'm doing for a church that I haven't attended in over a year.
The good thing is: I am never bored. There is never a moment in my life where I think, "Hm, what can I do NOW?" And while the kids drive me stark raving mad (please can you NOT rollerblade in the house while drinking that milk!! please can you NOT take every clean bath towel and put it on the kitchen floor for an impromptu real-life frogger game!!), I need to stop and realize that I'm lucky. Nice house (little messy), good husband, good family, good friends, good support network (IRL, blogs) and Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon.
Posted by mryonker at 08:57 PM | Comments (11)
by popular demand
A pic of the newest addition to my family, Grayson:
I am happy to announce he is healthy, strong, content, and absolutely adorable.
Posted by mryonker at 11:40 AM | Comments (4)
February 17, 2005
no clever title tonight
I spent an hour on the phone tonight with dear Rudy, who worked with me to figure out why the heck my iPod wouldn't take up songs I'd purchased from iTunes.
Turns out that Quicktime must be updated for iTunes to be able to export songs to other applications. And yeah, I get the prompts for updates, but I normally ignore them, simply because I feel like I never have time to restart.
So, thanks Rudy.
And two items concerning promotions:
ONE: Brian is an eBay enthusiast. And now eBay has launched this treasure hunt thing, where clues direct users to fake auctions. If you find the right fake auction, you win $1000.
Hm. Apparently the idea is to get eBay users to search strange, low-traffic categories? The latest clue (Associated with Graduated Income Tax) has us searching for Karl Marx items.
And I can't imagine that as users quick-click through and scroll scroll scroll, they're not doing much leisurely browsing for, you know, stuff to BUY.
TWO: Pepsi has launched the free song from iTunes promotion again. I will drink more soda between now and whenever this campaign ends than I will the rest of the entire year. I will accost strangers who happen to hold a yellow-capped bottle, "You win??" Brian will be instructed to announce to the guys at the shop "Save the caps!!" and will bring them home in his pockets, smudged with motor oil and gear lube.
Posted by mryonker at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2005
time. blogs. disconnects.
So, this is what happens when you've spent what you think is a good amount of time working on domestic stuff, and then you move to some online stuff:
I worked this morning, making a delicious Three Sisters Stew out of Moosewood (squash, corn, beans). I made a brownie since it is Tucker's birthday. I did up a little of the dishes. I threw a load of laundry in.
But I knew I had some email I needed to return, and I wanted to do a little reading for class, and I wanted to blog!! The big kids had a half day of school, so I set them about doing some chores (you know a 5-year-old can empty the dishwasher, it just takes for damn ever because she has to drag a stool back and forth between the cabinets).
I sneak out of the kitchen to my room, put my feet up on my bed, open the laptop. Commence reading.
I surface from Weinberger for a moment to notice that the baby is quiet. Hm. A quiet baby means: 1) he's playing in the toilet, 2) he's eating catfood, 3) he's digging in the catbox, 4) he's climbed onto the counter and is taking knives out of the block, or 5) he's sleeping, which I knew for sure he wasn't doing.
I reluctantly close the laptop. And I find him, thankfully NOT eating cat poop, but instead digging happily into the warm brownie I'd set on the table to cool (click the pic for a bigger one):
Posted by mryonker at 04:11 PM | Comments (5)
February 14, 2005
20 reasons (for Valentine's day)
Because he:
1. is kind and gentle to animals. And while he prefers dogs, he has learned to love kitties.
2. sings. In the shower. While he's cooking. With the radio in the car. At the top of his lungs. Einstein on the Beach; Crash; Operation Spirit.
3. says "sewer cap" instead of "manhole."
4. tells his mom "I love you." Tells MY mom "love you, too." He hugs his dad, and his best friend, and still holds, hugs, and kisses the boys. I know this might sound like a "no duh," but I believe in the power of affection, especially between fathers and sons and men.
5. can fix damn near anything. Cars. Computers. Houses. Carrot cake.
6. plows our friends' driveways every time it snows without being asked.
7. opens chips and other bagged snacks from the bottom. Religiously.
8. watches PBS on Sunday morning with the kids.
9. built a cool puppet show stage, manned the blenders on smoothie night, and sold cookies at the auto shop for our brownie troop.
10. hasn't had a speeding ticket since 2002. ::fingers crossed::
11. orders me margaritas, on the rocks.
12. skateboards with Jack. Got Jack new bushings for his board for his birthday.
13. lets Jack take ballet with minimal, well-hid, mocking discomfort.
14. bought Hannah a corsage for the father-daughter ball.
15. held Joshua for the first two weeks of his life while I flailed with depression and bent priorities.
16. moved to the great white North so I could pursue bent priorities.
17. works part time hard labor so I can continue to pursue bent priorities.
18. still finds plenty to laugh about. Laughs a lot.
19. never leaves without kissing every one of us good-bye.
20. never hangs up the phone without telling me he loves me.
Posted by mryonker at 01:02 AM | Comments (2)
February 13, 2005
welcome, Grayson Herbert Zoldan
My little sis had her first baby yesterday morning. I'm happy to report that her labor and delivery (a planned home birth) went nearly perfectly. He was 8lbs 2ozs (21 ins) and I can't wait to meet him next week.
In other news: Brian started tearing walls out today, officially commencing the second floor remodel, which WILL render a SECOND bathroom. If you've ever lived in a house with 7 people and ONE TOILET, you understand that the urge to relieve oneself often comes in strange network-y ways. Yes, I'm going to tie network stuff into talk of toilet use.
For instance, young children often don't KNOW they have to go to the bathroon untill SOMEONE ELSE is already occupying the seat. And then, of course, it becomes a DIRE EMERGENCY. But not just for one child. Because once someone sits on the toilet, EVERY KID in the house suddenly is about to pee all over herself.
The event dictates behavior, dictates a wether. Who knows who will actually be the one to trigger a mass urination-urge? Who will be the victim of late-arrival (and thus have to wait for three cycles of peeing) before she gets a turn?
So the angels sing alleluia. I get a second toilet. Oh, yeah, I got a nephew, too. Much to be thankful for today.
As my niece often closes the thanks we give at dinner: "Hay, MAN!"
Posted by mryonker at 03:25 PM | Comments (3)
February 10, 2005
whereever you go, there you are
Tyratae offers up a meme that I could not resist, simply because I have lived in SO many places that home is a leech-slippery idea for me. "Where're you from?" people ask. Uh. Planet Earth?
Council Bluffs, IA
Minden, IA
Pacific Junction, IA
Valparaiso, NE
Waukegan, IL
Beach Park, IL
Kenosha, WI
Daguao, PR
Norfolk, VA
Chesapeake, VA
Colorado Springs, CO
Virginia Beach, VA
Suffolk, VA
Webster Springs, WV
Buckhannon, WV
Central Square, NY
Parish, NY
Posted by mryonker at 10:07 PM | Comments (3)
it happened again
Look, it's not even funny. I was in George's office this morning, and he commented that I didn't need to blog about my embarrassments.
I explained to him that it was already a public event, as several participants in the seminar actually witnessed my tag discovery. And as I explained this to him, I mimed the action of me reaching down, feeling the collar of my shirt, and turning it out enough that the tag would have been visible by those who had been watching.
And to my horror, as I re-enacted the tag discovery, I actually found that I HAD MY SHIRT ON BACKWARDS again.
I am not making this up. Ask George.
Posted by mryonker at 12:22 PM | Comments (2)
February 09, 2005
would you rather see more happy trail?
Over at madame zenobia's we had a little pity party for ourselves about how much we miss living in the south. Well, to be fair, so far everyone has left examples of missed life and of NOT MISSED life. At any rate, I'll count this as part of my NOT MISSED life in VA.
I am grateful that those "underpants" exist--think of what we'd see if they weren't there? (Who uses the word "underpants" anymore anyway? Aren't we talking about "boxer shorts," anyway? Though I guess "boxers" don't sound as intimate or offensive as "underpants" does.)
Well, I'll TELL you what you'd see if they weren't there. As the sister of a brother who for many a year thought it was hippy-cool to forgo the undergarment option, and as that brother also thought it was too much work to weave a belt (or rope! It could have been of hemp!!) through his jeans, I spent those years averting my eyes from the horror of what his fashion choices made too, too clear.
Let me tell you. He got all manner of "underpants" from me for Christmas for many years in row. Damn I wasted a lot of money on those obvious hints--hints he apparently graciously donated to the Rescue Mission on Boxing Day.
But to the more important point, here: to be "offended" by someone's apparel is to have too much time on one's hands. This fashion is a manifestation of another more important revolt, and this legislation is working to silence, control, halt, or otherwise oppress expression.
Further: clothing is highly overrated, anyway. The human body is not something to be ashamed about, or embarrassed by, or offended by. My dear brother understands this better than I, it seems.
Posted by mryonker at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
yeah, I got it together.
Driving into campus this morning on the interstate, I think about how well the morning had gone thus far:
Four kids fed, cleaned, dressed (in clean clothes, even). Two kids to school, two to the babysitter. No one late. No meltdowns about outfits, or what's for breakfast, or what's packed in their lunches, or who brushes their teeth first. All backpacks found. All homework completed. All hair brushed (!).
No one left crying or shouting. All kisses and hugs appeared genuine, as they weren't preceeded by "Will you just get your BOOTS ON NOW for the love of PETE!!"
Wow, I think. I really am doing OK today.
I walk into campus with my jacket open, enjoying the last of our heat wave (it was about 30). I make it to the computer cluster early, and have time to think a little and decompress. As the participants of the seminar trickle in, I feel something itch at the front of my neck. I look down. It's the tag of my shirt.
Yeah, I got it together.
Posted by mryonker at 02:29 PM | Comments (5)
February 08, 2005
it's like surfing, but not the channel or web kind
So I'm trying to catch up a little on the blog reading, all the while thinking that my attempt to define/work through network literacy was still not quite getting at what I imagine being "network-ly literate" means. Derek's post today about volatility gave me a little more to work with.
Being "network-ly literate" means being able to feel and anticipate and make the appropriate allowances and adjustments to the larger movements of the network. It's like surfing. It's being connected to and one with the wave; it's at once driving AND being driven.
OK, so my epiphany sounds less grand than when I was thinking it through. But now the network that is me-to-my-baby-crying is driving me to hit post.
Posted by mryonker at 10:56 PM | Comments (2)
More help for writers!
Via Creative Computing : Incomplete Manifesto.
I have a much more intelligent (haha) post over at CCR 711, but for my purposes here, I simply wanted to let my people know that I now have a generative excuse for NOT cleaning off my desk, for making mistakes, for being a nerd, asking stupid questions, for staying up late, for making up words, taking coffee breaks, and for snorting when I laugh: because these are all methods for growth.
:)
Posted by mryonker at 09:42 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2005
do I read? or clean?
A fab party last night for our outgoing grad prog director yielded this conversation with another toward-PhD mom:
me: Well, since you've got a new house, you should have us over for dinner. <grin>
she: Uh, no. My house, however new, is a mess.
me: Yah, like we care. I'm certain our house is messier than yours.
she: I wouldn't be so sure. There are days that I think, "Should I read, or clean? Read or clean?" And I always read instead of clean.
me: Ah, well normally I CLEAN instead of read, and my house is still like an earthquake came through, wore every stitch of clothing, dirtied every dish, walked around eating crackers and popcorn a la cookie monster, brushed the cats and shook the vacuum bag, and for good measure crayoned fifteen-thousand pictures and stories on notebook paper, tore them out of the spiral, and left the pages (and the spiral scraps), in various states of wrinkle and crumbled-up-ness, in every room.
OK, so I didn't say all that, maybe. But I am getting ready to take a large trash can, put it in the middle of the house, and start a-chucking, even though my aggregator is full and I have a crap load of writing to do.
I clean instead. Or rather, I throw stuff away. Garbage in, garbage OUT!
Posted by mryonker at 12:22 PM | Comments (7)