Happy Birthday Rob

In a rare moment of frugality, I decided to wrap all Rob's presents in old used wrapping paper turned inside out, remnants and tissue paper. It's the inside that counts...right?The cake, however, is from scratch using new, not previously digested ingredients.

Happy 52 Rob.

Halloween Party 2010

We had an absolute ball at the MonsterQuest Halloween party. An abundance of good food and drink was consumed by all...especially me. Rob drove home. My t-shirt was covered with white fuzz from numerous Yeti hugs but I loved our costumes. I explained my lack of pants by assuring people they were covered in blood from my quail hunting accident. Boxers are pretty comfortable to hang in all night....
There was an amazing array of costumes. Elementary teachers can be so creative with a theme.This dragon actually had 5 people when it first arrived...and a head.

And I think Rob had fun hanging out as a cowboy.

The t-shirt was the find of the day at the Salvation Army. Oddly enough, it was from Unaustralian Opinionated Apparel but perfect for my Cheney outfit. Anybody want it? I would never wear it without the Cheney mask.

Can't wait until next year. I will take more pictures...I missed about 20 costumed adults.

For liberals only....

So, Rob and I have been invited to a Halloween party on Saturday night. The guest list is made up almost entirely of teachers and the host is a retired teacher whom I absolutely love. Her retirement gift was a beer pong table if that helps you set the scene. Elementary teachers are very into themes and last year her Halloween party theme was Ancient Egypt and guests were attired in the appropriate costumes. I have seen pictures...it was quite a hoot. Alas, Rob and I missed the event due to the Cornell Parent Weekend conflict.

This year her theme is MonsterQuest. Apparently, Carole's husband, Carmen is a devoted follower of this show on the History channel. The show's creators try to prove or disprove the sightings of legendary monsters and other creatures using eyewitness accounts, scientists and the latest technology. Think Lochness Monster, Sasquatch, Jaws and of course, UFO's. (Didn't Uncle Tom once have the yearning to move to Roswell? Perhaps after Prague?)

I just couldn't get into the theme and my mind went elsewhere when I thought of monsters. Of course, politics and the edginess I crave always crept into my mind. I could embrace the monster theme...but I needed something more.

So I spent a lot of energy and time trying to talk Rob into going as a priest. Thought that would be a hoot...he didn't. He could rationalize the monster, but 12 years of catholic school would not allow him to dress as a priest. I could have done it without losing any sleep, but a woman priest would have opened up a whole new can of worms. and some devout guest would have misinterpreted the meaning.

This being an election year and year 9 of a war we should never have been fighting, we decided to go as Bush and Cheney.

Monsters? Yes.

Pictures to follow.

Hotel room feel....

I love staying in hotels because of the non-offensive decorating color scheme, the comfort and of course, the cleanliness (or should I say, perceived cleanliness.) When redecorating the guest room, I was going for that feel. Hard to accomplish without purchasing a new 24" thick mattress and furniture but I am happy with the results.Amazing what can be accomplished with a gallon of paint and new bedding. Rob did a great job painting the space (apparently long before the doctor wanted him to but who knew...since the doctor NEVER gave him any direction.....)

Not Much Fun Going On....

Rob is feeling much better. He has been de-catheterized and now he can drive, so he is in a much better place. The doctor said the cancer was confined to the prostate so that is the best news. He is well on the way to recovery.

I was not happy with the care in the hospital at all. It was nonexistent. Those nurses were so overworked, you needed to be coding for attention. Although his stay was only overnight, he was sent home without eating anything, (midnight Monday to Thursday at 1) and the nurses didn't get him up to walk until shortly before we left. Are all hospitals like this or just St. Joes?

In all honesty, the doctor's office is not much better. At the urologist's last week, after catheter removal, the nurse was letting us go with an appointment to come back next week for bladder strengthening exercises (Rob....not me) and I said, "Can he drive? Can he lift anything? What signs should we be looking for if the infection worsens? Is anyone going to look at the 6 incisions he has on his stomach?" Good grief.

I am busy and decided that I need to let go of some of my outside volunteer activities. In addition to being President of Parents for Public Schools and on the board of the Ted Grace Reading Grove, I am the union building rep at work and spend a lot of time working closely with the union president, Joe. Not because I want to have this added work load but because I owe him big time. For 8 years we have had the most self serving, arrogant man possible as president. His agenda included making sure he was seen as important not seeing to the needs of his constituents. The guy ran unopposed for 8 years because the job pays almost nothing and is a ton of work. Nobody wants it. Joe has a social conscience and believes strongly in democracy. He ran as a favor to me, agreeing that the ballot results would send a strong message to the president. I never thought he would win but boy did it send a message! I am seen as the instigator in the district and hated by all the supporters of the past president. And it's a negotiating year and I find myself on a committee that is creating language that merges our contract language with the FMLA laws and is it summer yet?

Surgical Success

Rob's Prostatectomy was performed today (da Vinci Robotic surgery) The surgeon is confident the cancer was contained within the prostate and had not spread. Everything went well and they think he may be able to come home tomorrow. YEAH!

Rob wasn't cleared for surgery until yesterday afternoon even though we have had the appointment for months. Talk about stress! He failed his EKG at the pre-op and needed to visit a cardiologist and ended up with a Nuclear Stress Test before he was cleared cardiologically. Of course, the cardiologist felt a mass in Rob's abdomen so he had a CAT scan yesterday morning. All tests came back negative.....so on to surgery at a moment's notice. Neither of us thought this would happen.

Do you remember having surgery in the olden days? You had an appointment for surgery and showed up and you stayed in the hospital until you were well enough to go home. Rob had a 4 hour pre-op urinary health class last week and returned home with about 10 lbs of directions and a video on catheter care. Yesterday, it was only clear fluids all day and he had to drink something special at 3 to clear the bowels.....and give himself an enema! He had to shower the night before and wipe the surgical area down with a special medicated cloth 1 hour after and wear clean pajamas to bed and do the whole wipe thing again this morning. How do idiots handle the 10 pages of directions? And don't even get me started on catheter care! A video? Do I look like a nurse? He will have a catheter for 8 days so it looks like I will learn.

I will keep everyone posted.

Nothing much going on....

1 -I am back to work...always sad...but only 9 more days until my 1st pay check since June.....always exciting.

2 - Last week I felt like Erika did several months ago when her appliances were dying around her. The computer has been in the shop for a week. Cafe.Net has always done a superb job on repairs buy this time they were stymied. The guy just kept repeating, "you know it's 8 years old." This time it wasn't the video card or the fan but the power switch. He jury-rigged the switch so it will turn on and stay on but it looks so bad. In order to run, the case can't be on. I will be shopping soon. I am thinking of a laptop for the portability but I hate those keyboards and the little screen. Decisions......

I received a letter from the Water Dept advising us that our reading showed a tremendous, out of the ordinary for us, water usage and that we should recheck the reading. The numbers corresponded and the toilets aren't running so where did all the water go?

I received a letter from Maytag letting me know that an electrical failure in the heating element of our dishwaher can cause a serious fire hazard. The solution? "Stop using the dishwasher immediately and disconnect the electrical supply and shut off the circuit breaker." I can call to schedule a free in home repair. Is that before the fire or after? Hopefully we will still have enough water to put out the fire since I haven't yet followed the directions.

3 - We received a package in the mail today...always exciting. Actually, I got home around 5:30 and the outgoing mail was still in the mailbox and I stomped around the house admonishing the mailman (using a myriad of stored up swear words since I was with kids today) for not walking up the steps to get the mail that was going out. About 8 tonight I opened the front door since the temp was dropping from our high of 90 and we had mail and a package! The white mailing bag was for Ian and from Syvertsen in Prague. Looked like Cyndy's handwriting but I thought it might have been Chris or Laura's too. Oh, the mystery. We went to Ithaca to visit Ian just yesterday, so I was kind of sad thinking he wouldn't be able to open it until Columbus Day. I texted Ian and he said, "OPEN IT!." Can you imagine how boring our lives are? The blue PRIORITAIRE stickers all over added to the mystery. The end of the bag was covered with tape bearing the message in bright red, " REWRAPPED - RESEALED- IN THE USPS - REWRAPPED." So exciting. Was this contraband? NO! Inside were 4 size small Hanes boxer briefs and a note," Ian - Tom says to tell you he only wore these a few times so they shouldn't be too stretched out. Haha. Cyndy & Tom." Very anticlimactic, although we all had a good laugh. When Ian was packing for school, I did make him look under his bed for boxers since it didn't look like he had enough. Who leaves 4 pairs of underwear? Who mails 4 pairs of underwear halfway across the world?

4 - Still haven't painted the guest room. I am waiting for inspiration.

Home improvements

Unlike Rich & Diane I am not adding a floor or a window. Who has the balls to add a window? I have to trust the architects to know how many windows the house is supposed to have but....
I have hated the wallpaper that covered one wall in the guest room since we moved into the house. Navy blue plaid...yuck! After 17 years, I finally had the time and energy to remove it. Easy afternoon job but now I have to pick a color so Rob can paint the whole room and the trim. We will need new bedding and window treatments too and maybe I will have the dresser refinished and hang some of Rob's art and maybe I will move in.

Back to school

I drove Ian back to Cornell last Thursday. All of his stuff fit nicely into the Prius...even the 150.00 of groceries we picked up at the Wegmans in Ithaca. Ian is no longer on campus but is in an apartment with 4 other guys. Apparently, Cornell doesn't have enough rooms for all their students and Ian had a high lottery number so he was shut out of housing. This apartment is just down the hill from West Campus...very close to where he would have ended up anyway. He found 4 friends and they rented a place in Ravenwood. His room is the upper window with the fan. Big livingroom with tv (it was working when I left) and a dining room with only 4 chairs (I seem to be the only one who cares)
Decent kitchen (or at least it was when I left) and even a dishwasher5 bedrooms in the place each with double bed, dresser and desk (bigger than his room at home)
His closet is huge and very neatly organized (when I left.) They must rent to a lot of girls.

I made his bed, helped him unpack his clothes and dishes and food, cleaned the kitchen and kissed him good-bye. I didn't even cry this time.

The next day, as Rob and I were on our way to a wedding, I received a text from Ian. "Seamus and Nick are on their way over to pick up a saw and a hammer. And they will need a drill too." I immediately called Ian back to find out what was going on and let him know we were not at home to lend tools. After badgering him relentlessly, I found out that his Syracuse friends were coming down to visit and they all want to build a beer pong table.

Good lord. He may have inherited some drinking skills but I have neglected to teach carpentry. Luckily he has health insurance and the rental company is only authorized to take out the rent....not the damages.

Ian's new address is:
516 University Ave Apt B 5
Ithaca, NY 14850

I can't wait to see what this place looks like when the other 4 guys arrive. I will post pictures.

Right before I killed it....

Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival

Rob had a booth in this festival, officially held at Columbus Circle last weekend. We have done this show in the past but didn't sell much and we thought to try again...maybe Syracuse got cultured in the meantime! While wandering around, I took a picture of this statue that I have seen a 1000 times but never really looked at and thought, "Oh, that's why it's called Columbus Circle" and then, "why is there a statue of Columbus in Syracuse?" We had a nice spot among the trees on Onondaga Street and the weather was perfect all three days. So unusual for this festival! I love doing these shows with Rob because, frankly, it is like a mini vacation for me. I help set up, take down and watch over things when Rob leaves the booth but I spend the rest of the time sitting in a chair reading or browsing other booths. In Syracuse, I also spent a lot of time visiting with people I knew who stopped by to say hello. Rob is the one who has to be "on" for the entire time and I just do what I want....love it!

I had fun with the camera this year...taking unsuspecting pictures. Like Common Councilor Bill Ryan buying a Buffalo Bills picture from the booth across the street. I felt like one of the cops from The Wire and this sure looked like a drug deal. I spent a lot of time across the street helping out Claudia. CLAUDIA CARREON She hails from Ohio, has stunning jewelry pieces and was fun to talk too. Originally from Mexico, she works as a translator for the Rochester and Columbus, Ohio newspapers. She was here alone, so I watched her booth when she needed to use the facilities or get something to eat. Of course, I took pictures of Rob visiting with people while across the way. Rob saw a lot of people he knew....even his XC coach from SUNY Cortland. They recognized each other after 30 years. So many people came up to Rob to tell him that they knew Tim, Tom, Joe, Ed, Jack or Jim Glisson that Rob started keeping track. Jim won the tally.

We were entertained all weekend by traveling musicians and Drumming Dan. Dan was not officially hired by the Arts Festival promoters, but travels with Lisa from Two Son Jewelry. Dan set up his drums and drummed all day. Dancers and other musicians joined him throughout the weekend.

He was a fun guy and I wouldn't mind having a booth near their booth again next year. I imagine he was one of those kids in school that tapped and pounded on anything. Lisa did say the drumming on the dinner table can be a bit much to take. Dan even traveled down the street to drum with my favorite, the Kambuyu Marimba Ensemble. They are so interesting to watch...

The best part? Rob won an award and he sold 4 paintings. He really was happy even though he doesn't look it!

In the news....

I got a lot of ink in this article about Say Yes....perhaps if I had sped away from the cops in a SUV after a shooting or diverted 78,000 dollars of state funds for my personal use people would care.

Syracuse school board wants to hire a search firm to find a new superintendent

Hello duck....good-bye robins.

Not a real duck....while it would be amusing until I was able to take a picture, the amount of poop ducks generate is ghastly. We have a new duck, Harvey Too. Notice the jaunty tilt to her head.The previous duck, Harvey, was faded and leaking water and didn't adequately represent the mojo I had going in the yard.

The baby robins left us this weekend but not without some drama. Between Friday and Saturday we had about 3 inches of rain...maybe more....and I had to drain quite a bit from the pool. One left Friday and was never seen again. The 2nd baby left Saturday while I was venturing outside to oversee the damage from the rain. He swooped over my head and landed in the yard. He hopped over to the shed and tried to gain altitude or coverage or something by jumping repeatedly into the shed doors. He eventually made it to cover in the garden. I stayed outside because I was afraid he would accidentally land in the pool and be swept into the filter to die. Sure enough, he tried to fly over the pool and skidded across the top and flopped into the water. I ran over to jump in and save him but recovered my thought process long enough to grab the skimmer pole and scoop him out. I tried to put him back into the nest but he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Eventually, I lost track of him and I wish these babies luck. They are going to need it!

The Idiots Guide to Building a Nest

During the last week of school I was a mess. Rob was out of town, school was stressful with one of the dearest teachers retiring, all of the end of the year tasks, organizing a union president takeover (success), a meeting or party every single night of the week, and company coming on Friday. I was a blithering idiot.

On top of all this, a pair of robins decide to build their nest on the light above the back door. Ordinarily, I would not need to be involved but this pair needed assistance on nest building. Every morning when I went out back and every evening when I came home, the concrete just outside the back door was filled with mud and hay. Easily an entire bale of hay was left on the concrete and nothing was stuck on the light. I tried my best to scare them away and even talked to the pair about the folly of building their nest along this heavily used entry. I was hysterical because the mess was incredible and it was just one more task added to my day. Oddly enough, Ian left by this door to go to work every day but never noticed the mess. Each day I cleaned up the hay and hosed off the mud.

By Friday of the week, the birds were successful at cobbling together a nest.
If we were in the backyard or using the backdoor, the birds flew off the nest. Hilary and family were here all weekend and luckily it was 100 degrees because the parents got little or no time to sit on the eggs.

In spite of everything (despite everything?) 2 of the eggs hatched on July 12th. They were so funny to look at.
I have to admit, watching them reach forward with open mouth reminded me so much of Ian's nursing days. Although these guys have more hair.


By July 21st, the babies are feathered and their wing span is larger than the nest. They will be leaving soon (and I can clean off the light!) They have been fun to watch even though the parents freak when I lean out the window with the camera.

Sending your child to a foreign country.....to work!

This is rather amusing to me. For years, we have noticed that many of the menial jobs (maids, counter workers, etc) in Cape Cod are filled with teenagers from Eastern European countries. I have never figured this out... Does America lack teenagers who need jobs? How do these kids get here? Where do they live for the summer? How do they find out about these jobs? Is it for the money or the chance to come to America? But now Ian has gone and done the opposite (he always was contrary!)

With our stunning family connections, Ian and Emily have gone to Prague for a month to work for Chris in one of the hostels (Ian will make a cute chamber maid.) I can't wait to find out if they will be employed in the new Mosaic House or the historic Czech Inn. Work starts Monday. Thank you Cyndy & Tom and Chris & Laura for giving Ian and Emily this rare opportunity.

Packing Ian for Prague was a challenge. With the Homeland Security restrictions the airlines immediately embraced for capitalistic reasons, Ian was allowed only 1 suitcase and it has to be under 50.5 lbs. Haha...Ian's suitcase weighed 20lbs .....

....before he added his clothes, shoes and toiletries.

We tried to put as much of the heavy stuff into his backpack to carry on, but when we left the house for New York, Ian's suitcase weighed close to 60lbs and I had resolved to pay the $45.00 overweight fee. The Miracle Whip and Popsicle maker had to stay in the suitcase because I knew they would never pass liquid inspection when Ian passed through security but we moved the Fig Newtons and Butterscotch Chips (1# each.)

I was hoping to transfer some of Ian's weight to Emily's suitcase (what was I thinking?) but Emily's suitcase was also over the allotted pounds, so Ian transferred some of her heavier items to his suitcase so only one fee would need to be paid. Brilliant thinking on my part I should add.

I needn't have worried! When the kids checked in and Ian explained that most of his weight was due to gifts for his family the clerk gave Ian this cute little plaid bag, asked him to transfer the heavy stuff and he checked a 2nd bag for free! The world is so greedy and surly that I forget there are still kind people out there. I hope Ian and Emily remember to email the airline and thank her.

I saw Ian and Emily through security and headed back to my car ( I didn't cry) for the drive back to Syracuse. It was 4:20 on a Wednesday afternoon and I didn't make it to the Holland Tunnel until almost 6:30. I was not amused. I spent almost 40 minutes driving 3 blocks....true NYC gridlock. How do people do this? The people I saw in their cars (mostly NJ plates) looked like they were going home from work. My drive to work takes 10 minutes in the morning and if I leave at the wrong time I encounter school buses, and that adds 5 minutes to my commute, makes me late and raises my anxiety level to heart attack proportions.

Ian and Emily have started a blog of their own. It's very informative and so far they are having a ball. I have linked my blog or go to Praha Braha to catch up.

June 26 & 27th with the family.

We had a mini family reunion during the last weekend of June. Emily came in on the Hound Thursday night from NYC. Hilary and family arrived Friday evening and Rich and Diane came for dinner on Saturday. Even Chandler joined us for dinner after his shift at Target. Of course, I took not one picture on Saturday but I can say with assurance that we ate well (love that bean salad Rich....and I need the recipe for the spicy version) and drank well.....gin and tonics, beer and we tried this new Van Gogh brand of vodka (I liked the bottle...now empty.)

The weather was perfect on Sunday and I managed to use the camera. Chuck and Nick played endless hours of this nameless game using the Torpedo .This is a game that Ian and his friends made up back when they used to play games that didn't involve red cups. The game is even fun in the rain.
Joey leaves with the Torpedo. Game Over.

Hilary and Joey share a hug.
What looks like a tender moment between Ian and Joey probably turned violent and didn't end well.
Emily is wearing her "I am not sharing" face.

Joey, Ian and Emily play ball in the pool. The bat can also be used as an ineffective oar.
Look quick....Joey stopped and crashed.

And Nick is waiting for the car to be packed so everybody can hit the road.

Top 10 Reasons Ian Would Love the Netherlands

10. THE CLOTHES
The dress among those both young and old was eclectic to say the least. While Ian prefers t-shirts and basketball shorts, I hope he dresses outside of his comfort zone while in Europe this summer.
We saw this group using the ATM in Leiden.
This Tibetan monk (?) took the time to coordinate his outfit with the tulips. Keep in mind it was about 70 degrees. Man clothes for sale in a shop window in Scheveningen.

9. THE FOOD
The national dish is a raw herring sandwich although many people eat their herring whole, rolled in raw onions and pickles. I ate a a cooked herring sandwich (delicious) and Uncle Tom tried the raw herring sandwich (not so delicious.) I know Ian would have to give this a try.

8. SIGNS
The signs in Amsterdam were easy to understand and straight to the point. Pickpocket awareness deserved an English translation.
Dog poop in the gutter did not. And I brought my own Bob so no need to rent one.....but Ian might want to rent a Bob.
7. YOU DON'T PLAY THE CELLO
Bikes were the transportation of choice in Amsterdam. Didn't matter if you had your kids with you(sitting in the milk crate fixed to the handlebars), wearing a short skirt (yikes!) or a tuxedo while carrying your cello.

6. BIG EGGS
No joke. These eggs were huge and I hope they weren't gathered from the dirty old swans living in the dirty canals. But Ian likes his bacon and eggs.....and I don't think the bird matters much. We saw these eggs for sale at the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam.

5. YOUR NAME
If you position yourself perfectly, Ian's name is spelled out in 7 foot high letters in the IAMSTERDAM sign . What narcissist wouldn't love that!

4. GRAFFITI
I wanted to try this coffee shop after seeing the decorated wall (see # 3) and who doesn't like Stewie?

3. COFFEESHOPSOh wait, that's why I love Amsterdam!

2. COOL JOBS
This Rastafarian water taxi driver was just taking it easy and cruising the canals.We ate lunch outside one afternoon in Delft at the Cafe de Wynhaven. When our waiter wasn't taking orders (I ordered bitterballen without knowing what it was....delicious!) or delivering food, he was using a big squirt gun to chase away the seagulls and pigeons. Both perfect jobs for Ian.

1. BEER IN VENDING MACHINESImagine my surprise when I drifted down the hall to the vending machine in our hotel in Den Haag for munchies and saw this! Imagine getting a cold Heineken from a vending machine. In America, I am sure the machine would expect your ID and a sobriety test. Who wouldn't love this!