When les Mamans asked us if we could take the kids for a Saturday night so they could celebrate their first wedding anniversary, Sweetie McPie and I realized that we'd completely forgotten about our own wedding anniversary, which had passed a few days before that. (This was back at the beginning of August.)
Oh well! we shrugged. Luckily, we find a reason to celebrate on most days, so we probably celebrated something that day (it was a Monday, but that is no impediment), and now we had an excuse to set aside some day in the future for an extra-special celebration.
So, about three weeks ago (August 29th, specifically) was my anniversary of Not Working For The Man.
Oh, how much do I *not* miss going to the office everyday? How much do I *not* miss technical writing? (Those are rhetorical questions, but you knew that already.)
In fact, it occured to me that I should maybe now update my profile to remove the "non-aspiring tech writer part". (I could also maybe add in something about "mom" and change "apprentice knitter" to "wish I were knitting"...)
I have been lucky enough to enjoy a few "professional" (if not necessarily paid) projects over the past year -- the editing, the interview and profile writing -- and I'm looking forward to doing more of the same in the coming months. In fact, I'm almost starting to look forward to the time when Tim's old enough to maybe be taken care of by someone else (aka "daycare") for a day or two so I can dedicate some time to actual work. But I'm not in a super-hurry for that. And I count my lucky stars every day that I don't have a deadline for deciding.
What I will dare to say is, I don't think I'll be going back to an office in the forseeable future. If at all. Really maybe never.
I think that's something to celebrate.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Whiling away
So, the Bible Study is proceeding, um, very slowly. I've read the introduction to the Pentateuch, skipped the first creation story (because, it turns out, it's pretty familiar), and am up to the part in the second creation story where the Subtle Serpent is sweet-talking the natives. (Also very familiar.)
That's not to say I'm not getting any reading done these days. I'm just a bit scattered. Besides the Bible in the bathroom. I've got Love in the Time of Cholera in the stroller for my morning reads while Tim sleeps; there's Why Gender Matters by the nursing pillow to read while feeding; Eats, Shoots and Leaves is on the bedside table, and up until this past weekend's book club meeting, I had an online version of Gertrude Stein's Three Lives up on my laptop for fly-by skimming. (NB: Do NOT ever attempt to read Three Lives. It is terrible. I assume it's only in print because it's Gertrude Stein. I can only guess that her non-fiction -- which I haven't read -- is more intelligent and engaging. These novellas are pretty much the worst published document I've laid eyes on.)
I need to add Frankenstein to this line-up (again for book club), but I've found an audio version that might do the trick for when I'm puttering around and can't sit (or stand still) to read.
Ya do what ya can.
With luck, I may finish the lot by Halloween... At which point I have a loverly new hardcover copy of the new Alice Munro to dive into. Yay!
Meanwhile, my sister and nephew are visiting for the week, and we are doing not much of anything other than childcare. But it's more interesting with company, I can assure you. The boys are quite hilarious together -- aware of each others' presence when placed in proximity to each other, but not quite sure what to do with each other. Other that grab at each other's faces. I will post pictures as soon as I can.
That's not to say I'm not getting any reading done these days. I'm just a bit scattered. Besides the Bible in the bathroom. I've got Love in the Time of Cholera in the stroller for my morning reads while Tim sleeps; there's Why Gender Matters by the nursing pillow to read while feeding; Eats, Shoots and Leaves is on the bedside table, and up until this past weekend's book club meeting, I had an online version of Gertrude Stein's Three Lives up on my laptop for fly-by skimming. (NB: Do NOT ever attempt to read Three Lives. It is terrible. I assume it's only in print because it's Gertrude Stein. I can only guess that her non-fiction -- which I haven't read -- is more intelligent and engaging. These novellas are pretty much the worst published document I've laid eyes on.)
I need to add Frankenstein to this line-up (again for book club), but I've found an audio version that might do the trick for when I'm puttering around and can't sit (or stand still) to read.
Ya do what ya can.
With luck, I may finish the lot by Halloween... At which point I have a loverly new hardcover copy of the new Alice Munro to dive into. Yay!
Meanwhile, my sister and nephew are visiting for the week, and we are doing not much of anything other than childcare. But it's more interesting with company, I can assure you. The boys are quite hilarious together -- aware of each others' presence when placed in proximity to each other, but not quite sure what to do with each other. Other that grab at each other's faces. I will post pictures as soon as I can.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
And it's not even Lent
I'm thinking about maybe reading the Bible.
In my first year of university, one of my English Lit profs -- an stodgy old fart who claimed that English literature went downhill after Alexander Pope -- gave the class a list of all the works that we needed to read if we wanted to consider ourselves true literature academics. The Bible was at the top of that list. (There were also many Greek and Roman philosophers/poets there.)
To be honest, I don't think I did much of the reading for that class (Aristotle, Virgil, Cicero, Homer -- are you kidding me?), let alone the rest of the classics he recommended. I've been a pretty poor student of literature in that way; I've lost track of the Dickens I've abandoned partway through. It occurs to me that that paper I wrote in grad school on Paradise Lost may have been easier to accomplish if I've been more familiar with the reference text...
But ever since I visited Israel (years and years ago), and used the New Testament as a tour guide through Nazareth, Galilee, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, I've been pretty interested in the historical context of both the event described in the Bible, and the writing of it (the events and the writing being separated by hundreds of years, of course). I figure if I want to learn more about the context (partly so I can argue my case for my agnosticism), I should be familiar with the text itself. Also, it does figure pretty huge in much English literature old and contemporary, so it feeds the geek in me.
So, I've replaced Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding with the New Jerusalem Bible beside the toilet upstairs. I figure that since I managed to scour Dr. Newman's book cover to cover over the past six months just by keeping it by the toilet (and I didn't even have any breastfeeding issues that needed attending to; it was just there), it's a good place to put the Bible to ensure I actually delve into it.
(We also now have a copy of the Tao Te Ching there, for when spiritual needs are more pressing than literary geekiness.)
I'll try to remember to post my progress in this endeavour. If I make any.
In my first year of university, one of my English Lit profs -- an stodgy old fart who claimed that English literature went downhill after Alexander Pope -- gave the class a list of all the works that we needed to read if we wanted to consider ourselves true literature academics. The Bible was at the top of that list. (There were also many Greek and Roman philosophers/poets there.)
To be honest, I don't think I did much of the reading for that class (Aristotle, Virgil, Cicero, Homer -- are you kidding me?), let alone the rest of the classics he recommended. I've been a pretty poor student of literature in that way; I've lost track of the Dickens I've abandoned partway through. It occurs to me that that paper I wrote in grad school on Paradise Lost may have been easier to accomplish if I've been more familiar with the reference text...
But ever since I visited Israel (years and years ago), and used the New Testament as a tour guide through Nazareth, Galilee, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, I've been pretty interested in the historical context of both the event described in the Bible, and the writing of it (the events and the writing being separated by hundreds of years, of course). I figure if I want to learn more about the context (partly so I can argue my case for my agnosticism), I should be familiar with the text itself. Also, it does figure pretty huge in much English literature old and contemporary, so it feeds the geek in me.
So, I've replaced Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding with the New Jerusalem Bible beside the toilet upstairs. I figure that since I managed to scour Dr. Newman's book cover to cover over the past six months just by keeping it by the toilet (and I didn't even have any breastfeeding issues that needed attending to; it was just there), it's a good place to put the Bible to ensure I actually delve into it.
(We also now have a copy of the Tao Te Ching there, for when spiritual needs are more pressing than literary geekiness.)
I'll try to remember to post my progress in this endeavour. If I make any.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Christmas is over
Well, Sweetie McPie has returned to a workaday routine, and Tim and I are on Day 3 of Home Alone: Post Christmas Blues.
But we're not blue! While we'd prefer Dad to be home with us all day, everyday, ad infinitum, we managing famously with the situation, as dealt. We are also buoyed by the fact that Dad seems to have interesting stuff to look forward to at work. And we are all strengthened by our experience this summer as a together-family.
It was a busy summer, full of travel, frisbee, and projects around the house (we rebuilt the front stairs and walkway, redecorated Constance's bedroom, and built a deck for les Mamans). Finally, in the last week or so before the Return to Work, we settled down into true Vacation territory, and began to establish a nice domestic routine. It involved plenty of strolling, some working out, playing on blankets, and delicious suppers. And plenty of this:
This routine has been serving Tim and I well this week so far. We all wake up around the same time, and enjoy a morning together with diaper changes, breakfast for all, and coffee for parents. When Dad leaves for work, Mom and Tim go for a stroll, wherein Tim sleeps and Mom parks herself in a nearby park and reads. There is playtime with Tim on the floor, chore time with Tim in the wrap (on Mom), and then more stroller-time to mellow Tim out so Mom can have a workout. Of some sort.
Details, details. Suffice to say, it's all going rather smoothly, and Tim is a charming fellow who wins my heart daily.
I do have to say, the summer of Dad being home was an incredible gift -- one that I think we'll all find to be quite lasting. It's the topic of another post (one that I doubt I'll get around to), to explain how sharing the reigns for a few months will help us be better parents together, and help me to give up control in the best possible way. (For the record, I believe that new moms, by definition, are control freaks. It's sort of necessary, but also sort of a result of how families tend to work these days...) And I haven't even gotten to reconnecting as a couple... A whole other topic!
Anyway, the fall of 2009 promises to have new and exciting adventures - travel, food, writing, some serious cuteness, and possibly even some air guitar.
But we're not blue! While we'd prefer Dad to be home with us all day, everyday, ad infinitum, we managing famously with the situation, as dealt. We are also buoyed by the fact that Dad seems to have interesting stuff to look forward to at work. And we are all strengthened by our experience this summer as a together-family.
It was a busy summer, full of travel, frisbee, and projects around the house (we rebuilt the front stairs and walkway, redecorated Constance's bedroom, and built a deck for les Mamans). Finally, in the last week or so before the Return to Work, we settled down into true Vacation territory, and began to establish a nice domestic routine. It involved plenty of strolling, some working out, playing on blankets, and delicious suppers. And plenty of this:
This routine has been serving Tim and I well this week so far. We all wake up around the same time, and enjoy a morning together with diaper changes, breakfast for all, and coffee for parents. When Dad leaves for work, Mom and Tim go for a stroll, wherein Tim sleeps and Mom parks herself in a nearby park and reads. There is playtime with Tim on the floor, chore time with Tim in the wrap (on Mom), and then more stroller-time to mellow Tim out so Mom can have a workout. Of some sort.
Details, details. Suffice to say, it's all going rather smoothly, and Tim is a charming fellow who wins my heart daily.
I do have to say, the summer of Dad being home was an incredible gift -- one that I think we'll all find to be quite lasting. It's the topic of another post (one that I doubt I'll get around to), to explain how sharing the reigns for a few months will help us be better parents together, and help me to give up control in the best possible way. (For the record, I believe that new moms, by definition, are control freaks. It's sort of necessary, but also sort of a result of how families tend to work these days...) And I haven't even gotten to reconnecting as a couple... A whole other topic!
Anyway, the fall of 2009 promises to have new and exciting adventures - travel, food, writing, some serious cuteness, and possibly even some air guitar.
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