Memory in Motion

Apparently, I did not win the lottery while on vacation, and we're going to have to go back to work tomorrow. The problem with being an extreme optimist  (to the point of delusion sometimes) is that I honestly believe I'm going to be a millionaire at any moment and then I'm upset when it doesn't happen.

I've been researching various online universities all day.  Does anyone know why some schools require 180 credit hours for a degree and some require only 126? And why the ones that I like seem to be the ones that require 180? And most importantly, do I like the ones I like well enough to do 54 extra hours just for the thrill of having a well organized online classroom setup?

Right now Ian is recording himself singing various songs and playing them back for himself. He's also intermittently shrieking and giggling like a loon. Ryan taught him how to use the sound recorder on his computer and we've got a monster on our hands now. But, we burned a good copy of him singing "Proud to be in America" and saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and sent it to my Dad, so I guess that makes it all worth it.

We're having pizza tonight, for the 2nd time this week. VERY healthy. I saw some pictures of myself from Christmas and I'm absolutely astounded at what I look like after the weight I gained from quitting smoking. I'm going to start working out on 3 of 5 lunch breaks/ week starting tomorrow. Ryan and Ian may think I'm beautiful, but I'm going to have trouble sitting in normal chairs before long. Okay, that's an exaggeration. But still. It's not good.

It’s worse than you think.

You can’t travel anywhere in the city without seeing abandoned houses, FEMA trailers, piles of debris and water lines on gorgeous old homes that will never be livable again. Each house has at least one giant X on it to show that it was cleared of dead bodies. A lot of them have another X that shows where the SPCA came in and checked for animals.

My cousin lives on a nice block and the house they’re in didn’t have any damage. But the beauty shop across the street is still abandoned, there are heaps of building debris lining their street, and there’s a FEMA trailer set up within view of her back porch. And you have to call ahead to restuaants and grocery stores to see how late they are open, because most companies don’t have enough employees to keep their pre-Katrina hours of operation.

We DID have a good time, though. Saturday night we went to the French Quarter and had biegnets at Cafe du Monde, then went for a walk along the river and Jackson Square, and then just happened upon a late St. Patrick’s Day parade on our way back to our car. Ian had a BLAST catching beads. It was very tame and family friendly, and he’s still talking about it.

Sunday we went to the Audobon Zoo. The devastation was evident here too, as their aquarium was still closed. They lost a lot of fish (and their sea lions) in the hurricane. The elephant handler told us how they used the elephants to clean up the grounds after the storm, as they were cheaper and easier to maneuver than bulldozers. I thought that was really neat. And, we got to pet one of them!

On Monday, we took a tour of a couple of famous cemeteries in the area.  We had to keep a tight leash on Ian, as I saw several crypts that had collapsed in the storm and hadn’t been repaired yet. I took about a roll and a half of film there- we’ll see how it turns out.

I’m really glad we went. I enjoyed seeing my cousin and her husband, and I am glad I got to see the condition that the city is in. For all the complaining I’ve heard out of pro-Bush people about how they are exploiting New Oreans to make him look bad, I have to honestly say that I had no idea what it was really like there until I saw it. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been does.

We stayed out too late playing poker last night. I lost every cent of my $5 buy-in, betting my last chip on the final hand. Ryan made $8.35. So, we still came out ahead, no thanks to me.

We’re back from New Orleans safe and sound. I’ll try to go into more detail when I’ve had some sleep. But a good time was definitely had by all.

We’re going to be out of town from about an hour from now until the wee hours of Tuesday morning. We’ll be in New Orleans. The cell phones should work if anyone needs to reach me in an emergency.

1. Ian stayed clean and dry all day today.

2. Ryan took my car for an oil change so I didn’t have to do it.

3. It’s only 2 days until vacation!

4. Ian is humming Jingle Bells while he builds a hot wheels track. It’s adorable.

5. My daddy is coming to see us in just a few weeks!

I worked from home today! I had a dentist appointment at 7:30 this morning (4 fillings- ouch!) and my entire mouth was numb until early afternoon. I got permission from my boss ahead of time to work from home today with my laptop so that people wouldn’t be walking up to my desk all day asking me questions that I wasn’t physically able to answer. I am sorry to admit that I don’t think I was any more productive than I would have been at work, but I also don’t think I was any less productive. I’d definitely like to try it again at some point when I’m not in severe pain. I would also need a more comfortable setup than my recliner and a TV tray.   All of our computer desks are occupied and I didn’t want to rearrange furniture for one day. Anyway, it was certainly a fun experience working in my pajamas with a cat in my lap. I wish I could do it every day. Better yet, maybe I’ll win the lottery tonight and telecommute to school full time instead.

We took Ian back to the doctor’s office today because the antibiotic they gave him yesterday was giving him.. umm…no nice way to say it- explosive diarrhea.  He’s got good old amoxicillin now and is feeling much better, although I hate the 3x/day refrigerated stuff.