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Monday, April 4, 2016

House Hunting Whining

Oh my, Pixies. This house hunting thing is not as fun as it looks on tv.

Without boring you with so many details that even Mr. E can't keep up, several of our good possibilities are under contract already. So we're going to look at some more today, this time with check book in hand. The market here is moving quickly and is more than a little bit nuts.

In other news, we will have Albatross #2 liftoff on Saturday, which is very exciting and a giant relief.

How are things going in your world?


105 comments:

kathy a. said...

No, house hunting isn't a fun recreational activity when you really do need to move.... (We weren't in a hurry, and the kids enjoyed visiting the odd open house every now and again.)

Contracts can fall through, so if something seems perfect, be sure to let the realtor know how much you love it! We ended up jumping on our current house after another buyer bailed.

Buh-bye, Albatross 2! Don't let the door hit ya!

Trying to get back to my own albatross, for real. Last week was quite insane on the "OMG" scale of other events.

Miranda said...

AW: it's not cancer.

W: it appears my friend since childhood has a degenerative lung disease with a terrible life expectancy from her time as a fire fighter in My Big City. They are trying to see how extensive the damage is and what treatment is available.

I'm heartbroken and so angry. Most of the other fire fighters she worked with all have lung disorders and or cancers. They are all in their late 40s/early 50s. They were sent in to fight industrial fires without proper equipment.

AW: My albatross was submitted last Friday. The Powers That Be only made minor edits and said I did well for it being my first albatross like this and on a very aggressive deadline.

Good luck on the house hunting and assorted albatrossi Esperanza!! May you have a quiet week Kathy A.

kathy a. said...

((( Miranda ))) I am so sorry about your friend, Miranda! Will contact you privately, later -- might have a lead on resources for lung conditions. xoxoxo

kathy a. said...

AW: Went to my mailbox place, and there was no bad mail! Went to TJ's -- I love that place so much, and the parking lot wasn't terrible today! We have good food! They have lots of competent staff!

AW: Some friends have been peeling me off the Ceiling of Stress Overload.

W: Cat bark x 3. AW: Cat love x eleventy.

Sue said...

So sorry about your friend, Miranda. xoxoxo

Good luck with the house search esperanza, and YAY for saying goodbye to Albatross #2

Sounds like a good start to the day, kathy (esp the TJ part - I sure wish we had those stores here!). Most unfortunate re: cat bark. :(

AW: Got the pay stuff sorted. The bookkeeper was in early on Sunday, so I spoke with her directly. Remember, I'm not any kind of supervisor/employer/boss in the church - a committee oversees all of the employees and I have no authority over any of them. I like it that way. So, I spoke to her as a colleague, and asked her if she understood why I was frustrated with the pay "mix-ups" of late. She did understand and apologized profusely. She didn't make excuses, which I appreciate, but said she would step up her game in future.

I didn't speak with the personnel committee chair. I feel like things are sorted for now, and if it happens again, then I'll take it further.


kathy a. said...

Nicely done, Sue! I'll just put my cluestick right here in ready-storage, and hope it need not be employed. ;)

esperanza said...

Miranda, a good friend of mine has bad lung problems from helping in NYC after 9/11. And several people here have some supposedly rare fibrosis-type condition, which makes me wonder about its prevalence here. So sorry about your friend.

We made an offer on a house today. It's almost perfect for us. Went on the market this morning. SIX showings today, so we're almost certainly going to be competing with other offers. We went ahead and gave them our best and final shot, along with a persuasive (I hope) letter and a few thing on the contract that our realtor thought of. We'll see. Mr. E is going to be really sad if we don't get it.

Anonymous said...

Good luck esperanza!
Fingers crossed!!!!
:)
Miranda, so sorry about your friend.

W: about 5 inches of snow today. still had school. standardized testing this week, which is bad because of the stress on the students, but slightly good in that I get some work done, but not great, as I have lots of distractions from the work as I proctor the test, bring sharpened pencils, kleenex, etc.
W: my evaluation material (you know, to see if I am actually doing my job), is due on the 10th and I have a long long way to go in writing up my proof that I am doing my job. Irony: writing this up takes away time from, you know, planning good lessons-- actually doing my job.
W: We are planning to take our middle school age kids to a program tomorrow night at the High School about drugs and alcohol. Daughter is very opposed-- thinks she already knows everything due to health class, and that we think she is an idiot or we wouldn't make her go. Neighbor Boy is willing to go, as it gets him out of Hebrew school. sigh.


--Neighbor lady

esperanza said...

Well, that went quickly. Based on the letter and the way the realtor wrote the offer, they accepted it way ahead of when we were expecting. We weren't expecting to hear from them until Wednesday. So if you need a persuasive letter written in approximately 5 minutes, I'm your woman. I knew those last minute sermon writing skills would come in handy sometime!

And holy crap. I have no idea what's next except a lot of loan paperwork and an inspection. And painting. Let me see if I can paste in a link so y'all can see it: http://matrix.abor.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?ID=0-547002437-10#1

That link didn't work very well for my dad, so look for 424 Clarence Ct on that list.

And go right ahead and have a heart attack at the price and know that we went above asking price in order to get it. Yikes. We've never been in this much debt before.

esperanza said...

NL, in this state, teachers are not allowed to do *anything* while proctoring standardized tests. No reading, no grading, no nothing. There are pinterest pages of things to do...count ceiling tiles, sing songs in your head, etc.

Hoping the snow stops already.

Anonymous said...

esperanza-- It's gorgeous!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations!
May the rest of the process go smoothly!
--Neighbor Lady

Sue said...

Yay esperanza!!! WooHoo!!!!

esperanza said...

Thanks. When I saw it pop up this morning (we already were headed that way to hunt),I immediately emailed the realtor, who was looking at it that very moment. THere are a few very small drawbacks, but it is by far the best we saw, in our price range (though just barely).

kathy a. said...

Woot, Esperanza!!! What a great house! And if you're worried about price -- looks pretty good to me. Also, you found something great already!!!

About the inspections and loan thing -- you'll want to know if there is some hidden defect; if so, you can make them fix it or negotiate a lower price. And if the rates make sense and your lender is reputable, the loan process is just signing about 800 papers in some strip-mall office. I usually pretend to read some of them, and ask questions as they arise. You can do this, Rev. Albatross!

NL -- Seriously, snow? And testing? And you have to report on yourself, too? Well, just tell them you're great, your students are great, and you need to go plan more lessons now.

Boo hoo about ND not wanting to go learn about stuff at the high school. Life sucks that way, you know? (I also had a know-it-all or 2, and they ended up learning stuff despite that impediment. Just sayin'.)

kathy a. said...

More helpful loan info -- you'll want to research the lender and its reputation. Compare rates and that stuff. Know the difference between a fixed rate, adjustable, and something with a balloon payment (do they do balloons anymore? because those suck).

We have always gone with fixed rate, because then we can count on what the payment will be. In that category, you'll want to choose how many years (decades) for paying it off. The monthly is less with a longer period; but you'll pay a lot more in interest, and have less equity. You can actually force the loan people to explain that in English.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Hooray, esperanza!!! And, compared to houses around here, it's a bargain! The house is gorgeous, and I hope the inspection is free from surprises.

Around here, teachers aren't allowed to proctor their own standardized tests. (But other teachers are.) (Come to think of it, however, I think they did their own proctoring when we lived in BC.)

AW: child back to normal, and incredibly pleasant (even though today was her daddy's first day back at work). And she was excellent, when she came with us to our polling station.

W: provincial election day, and the polling is pretty dire. My party made some gains, but I fear what a third term of the Conservative Other Guys will do to this province. Even if they lose seats, but still win, they'll take it as a mandate to dismantle everything good about this province.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

(I should specify that it's advance polling that looks dire. Voting is happening for another fifteen minutes.)

esperanza said...

Hooray for well children who behave nicely! Boo on dire polling!

Sue said...

I'm glad E is feeling better QWP. Sorry about the crummy voter turnout, and as always, sorry about the Conservative Other Guys. :(

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Ugh. At least we didn't up losing our riding? Because, for a while, it was closer than it should have been (this area has been a leftist stronghold for decades, but the beloved incumbent retired). I tried to distract myself with Parks and Rec episodes, but got too deep into the ones with the recall vote, and had to stop watching mid-episode. Too much "I love my home, but am frustrated and struggle to understand everyone else" similarities.

esperanza said...

That is completely my situation here in Big Red State, QWP. I'm hoping moving closer to the liberal stronghold will yield some more political (and other) diversity. Hugs.

Liz said...

What a pretty house, Esperanza!

kathy a. said...

QWP, sorry about the election blues. Someone explained before what a "riding" is, and I have forgotten....

esperanza said...

Like a congressional representative? I think?

Sue said...

A riding is an electoral district. There are 338 ridings in Canada (I had to look up the number).

I'm glad your riding held on, QWP!

W: Our denominational atheist minister is in the press again (still) and the discussions on various fb pages are aflame with disagreements. I've said my piece, but find it's better to tune out. Last night was especially difficult, as she was part of a "spirituality" panel hosted by our denominational magazine (really???). An entire evening of discussion among people of various spiritual backgrounds and NOT ONE WORD about...Jesus, Mohammed, Allah, Moses, or Buddha.

*bangs head on brick wall*

The take-away from the evening is: "If you're a truly spiritual person, you can get on with justice work without the need of any teacher/any wisdom from the dusty past. All you have to believe in is yourself and your own power."

I. Can't. Even.

Liz said...

How does that even happen? Considering Gandhi, MLK Jr., the abolitionists (Quakers and others!), etc all tapped deeply into their religious backgrounds for their social justice roots? And particularly for their sources of organizational supports.

esperanza said...

Blech, Sue. As Liz says, there is clearly a dearth of historical knowledge and/or reflection. Among some other dearths.

W: I'm just saying, it's a good thing there is one detail oriented person in this marriage. My. head. is. spinning.

Sue said...

I'm the detail person at our house too, esperanza, so I totally get the head spinning at times when there are a million things to attend to. I take comfort in knowing that at least we aren't a household where *no one* tends to the details. I can't quite imagine that level of chaos.

kathy a. said...

We're both detail oriented when we need to be; except, different details and at different times. This is why certain corners of the household empire end up looking disreputable.

Everybody cross fingers! Daughter's off to a job interview!

Sue said...

Appendages crossed kathy a!!!

esperanza said...

Crossing fingers, kathy a!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I'm crossing my appendages and cheering for your daughter, Kathy!

Miranda said...

Great house, Esperanza!

Sue, I don't even know how to respond to your situation.

Kathy A good luck on the interview!!

W: my mom is in the hospital now after unexplained fainting. She broke her nose falling too.

W2: I have to deal with family members I have blocked from my life. I've already had an encounter.

kathy a. said...

((( Miranda ))) Hope your mom is OK, and that this all gets checked out. Ouch. And ouch about the difficult relatives. BREATHE. xoxo

Thanks for all the Pixie dust! First report is that things went well!

Miranda said...

My albatross is back. We didn't tell you what we wanted but we want something else.

This was going to be a fun week. My phone was ringing off the hook with this and The Other Thing.

esperanza said...

Oh Miranda, sorry about the family yuck. And hope your mom is ok.

Albatrossi are not supposed to be homing pigeons.

W: I may be the only detail person in this marriage, but oh boy does the household have two. Mini is making me nuts. "Mommy, are we going to get to our new house in the morning or the afternoon?" For real. And she is fascinated by me packing boxes.

AW: Ten! Boxes! so far. All books, the easiest thing to pack.

kathy a. said...

Just found out another long-ago albatross scored a WIN! On something that we were working on waaaaaayyyyyy back when.

Esperanza's got some box mojo going. :)

esperanza said...

The third potential babysitter said yes for Friday afternoon, to resolve Mr. E & my inability to coordinate calendars. The last time, I called 7 people and no one could do it, so I'm counting this as a victory!

kathy a. said...

Yay, Esperanza! Babysitter mojo, too!

Another interview today, Pixies!

The funeral for my friend is this weekend. It is across the country from me and even farther for some others, so our local friend will represent the group.

Miranda, how's your mom? xoxoxo

Miranda said...

Mom is doing okay. She is tired of being at the hospital but she want s to know why she is fainting. Lots of tests. They are taking excellent care of her.

kathy a. said...

Go. MOM! Hope they get this figured out. xoxo

Sue said...

Miranda, so sorry this has turned into a less-than-fun week. :( I hope your Mom continues to feel better and the test figure out the reason for her fainting.

Rule of Albatrossi: No backsies!!

Yay esperanza for finding a babysitter!!!

Yay kathy for the win!!!

Sue said...

W: We had a spring snowstorm here last night. It moved in really quickly late in the evening and I felt it in my head. It's only six weeks since my treatment, but when the triggers pile up (low-pressure system, not much sleep the night before, stress) a migraine intent on happening will forge ahead. So, no sleep, lots of ice and hurt.

AW: I stayed home from work and slept a few hours this morning. Kittens like a sleep-in with a sick mom.

esperanza said...

((Sue)) Hope the headache is easing.

Miranda, hoping the doctors can figure something out.

Slight escalation of Albatross-related tasks today, but I think it's under control and will still be finished on Saturday. And this one better not return in any form.

esperanza said...

Excellent, excellent news from my little buddy Waylon, with the fireplacing neuroblastoma: he's been in an experimental trial with only one other child. The other child died last weekend (the drug was working, but caused the brain lesions to bleed as they deteriorated, which was the cause of death), so they stopped the trial to double check Waylon with a PET scan. No detectable cancer!

Liz said...

YAY!!!!

Liz said...

W: I forgot it was trash day today. Third trash day in a row.

esperanza said...

That is an Old Skool contender, Liz. In the midst of purging and cleaning out crap, ours is full every week. (trash pickup only once/week here). They won't take anything not in the bin, so I have to make sure to leave enough room for that last bag of stinky trash from the kitchen.

Sue said...

esperanza, that is great news about Waylon!!!

Liz, that's unfortunate. We used to do that all the time when we lived in the house. Not fun.

W: So, meanwhile at the Ath@ist Diva party.... on a closed fb group for clergy, one of the members stated they were asked by the chair of the review committee not to speak of the matter on social media - because that member is ON THE REVIEW TEAM. Fair request, right? Now a request has come from the same chair, through our group member, that ALL clergy refrain from any discussion of the matter on social media. Not so fair, I don't think.

First, this is a regional committee doing the review - not the national body - so they have no jurisdiction with me. They can't tell me what to post or not to post. Next they'll be saying I post too many cat photos! *grin*

Second, the person under review remains able and willing (every flipping day) to post about the Big Bad Church Full of Meanies.

The WTF's just keep comin'...

Liz said...

Sue, I hope that you become a big booming voice against the @thi3st Diva. Activate your inner Glinda from the classic movie version of TWOO. "You have no power here! Begone! Before somebody drops a house on you!"

kathy a. said...

Great news about Waylon!

Definitely, Liz for Old Skool.

Sue, I just have no idea what to say about the Diva situation, except that I'm really glad to not be part of all *that* drama. And horrified, for you.

W: The obit for my friend who died is just the saddest thing. Absolutely nothing about her; it is just a rendition of who's in the family and who died before her. There's a lot of crap in the family dynamics, but really??? Sigh.

esperanza said...

((kathy)) I've done funerals like that, where no one could think of anything to say about their family member. I'd met her twice and could find lots of precious things about her. So sad.

Sue, that's just dumb. For the Review committee to have the appearance of impartiality makes sense. For the rest of you to be expected to be quiet is dumb. And unrealistic. And yours is not a hierarchical denomination, right? Yuck.

First mover came for estimate (I have to get three). He was kind and did not remark upon the amount of stuff we have. Nor did he look askance when I assured him we'd be getting rid of some things. I'm sure he hears that all the time and automatically tallies up 10 more boxes when someone says it.

Liz said...

Esperanza, that is an awesome observation about the mover?

esperanza said...

I'm assuming it's all part of his training :)

kathy a. said...

It's OK with the movers, honestly, Esperanza. It will be OK when you get rid of the stuff, too. At least nobody is expecting you to rent a truck and buy pizza for whichever friends are good enough to haul furniture and boxes.

I didn't speak up at my dad's funeral, because I wasn't expecting the open mike for remarks! And I wish I had said some things.

Well, am trying to use the guest book thingy to say something more about D, and encourage others. The funeral is across the country, and I can't go; nor can some other friends, although the nearby friend will represent us. I just can't believe they couldn't find anything -- her work, her caring, her love of cooking, her patience, her defense of others when bullying was going on, her love of bright colors and flowers and rocks and water -- to mention in the obit.

Liz said...

Many obits are paid by the word. Do we know what their financial sitch is?

esperanza said...

Oh, sorry. I didn't mean *at the funeral* I meant, at all. Even just me sitting saying "tell me about your mom....what made her laugh, etc" I totally get that not everyone wants to stand up and speak at their loved one's funeral.

And the $$ by the word is true, especially for big city papers. But on the funeral home website it shouldn't be.

Once we had professional movers one time, we will never go back to the DIY with pizza kind. The professionals are--go figure--much better at it!

kathy a. said...

Yeah, well. The $ sitch is that everybody's getting $ from grandma's [apparently fairly substantial] estate -- D's mom died just in December, and the first round of distribution just happened.

But there is apparently a high jackass factor in this particular bereaved family. Stressy week, hearing some behind the scenes.... Also, if they go ahead and say "beloved grandmother to five," one expects she would have been allowed to meet at least one of the 4 actual grandchildren, and that the manic daughter's DOG wouldn't get counted. At least they didn't list names, because the dog's name is [not making this up] Cain.

kathy a. said...

3 of the grandkids are by a long-estranged son. The 4th was just born, not long before her diagnosis, and I can kinda understand not bringing a newborn to a very sick person's room. She did love that dog.

esperanza said...

Jackass factors in families (and all families have them to some extent) get magnified during times of illness and death. And weddings.

I did snicker a bit about sweet, lovable Cain.

Sue said...

Ugh, kathy, that's sad about your friend's obit. :( Good idea to use the online guest book.

I'm so glad you're going with the movers esperanza - so much easier.

Liz, the image of a house dropping on the Diva is therapeutic (though, of course, I wouldn't wish her harm). At least with a house on her, she would STOP TALKING for a minute or two. Sheesh. She can sniff out a microphone a mile away.

esperanza said...

Well, Mover #1 is doing great, so far. Very reasonable estimate, which he finagled by knocking off all but 10 miles of the move. "Reasonable" = within the guidelines, so we don't have to pay any extra $$. Movers #2 and #3 are going to have to step it up!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Mover #1 seems to be leading the pack! (And what fantastic news about Waylon, esperanza!!)

Kathy, that is so frustrating that your friend's family seems to be making things all about themselves. The online guest book idea is a good one. And many hugs.

Sue, that is also frustrating that you all are expected to keep silent, while the Diva has no such limitations!

Miranda, I really hope the medical professionals get to the bottom of your mom's fainting spells.

AW: all traces of the stomach bug are finally gone, and we are fully off of the BRAT diet! (And E is making potty training progress, through this all. She is thoroughly filling her new sticker progress charts!)
W: E now has a runny nose, and I've been noticing that I have a touch of a sore throat and occasional congestion. *sigh* (Actually, I've noticed this with E and me: any time either of us gets a stomach bug, we ALWAYS get a little cold afterwards. I think our immune systems get so wiped out by the first thing, that it's too easy to catch something else right away.)

Other AW: I finally had our furnace ducts cleaned, after intending to do so since we moved in. The company that did it was great (and significantly cheaper than the people who originally quoted us for a duct cleaning -- we ended up asking our furnace installer who they use, or if they do cleaning themselves, and they pointed us to this great, small company). You guys, I'm pretty sure it's been at least a decade since these ducts were cleaned, and someone smoked here for a long time. After the cleaning was done, I noticed a significant improvement to my breathing, and my persistent headache cleared up. Hm.

esperanza said...

Wow, on the ducts, QWP. I viewed a house the other day that smelled like cigars. YUCK. It was otherwise horrible, so an easy decision.

Mini always gets an eczema flare-up after a semi-serious illness.

So glad the tummy bug is gone.

Off to hang out with the inspector this morning, then an Albatross related gathering this afternoon, then a planning meeting (which will be more fun than it sounds, given the people planning the event). A thoroughly grown-up day, which I need. Thanks to our friend who agreed to a playdate, and to Mr. E, for making this possible.

Sue said...

Yay for Mover #1!!! Enjoy your grown-up day, esperanza!!!

QWP - so glad you're feeling better. That's great news about the duct-cleaning too. I love it when small companies come through for the win.

Liz said...

Signing Muffin Man up for summer camp. 3 weeks of sleeping in a dorm at Wellesley.

Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset.

kathy a. said...

Oh, what a good idea about the furnace ducts, QWP!

Yay for Esperanza's grown up day full of excitement!

Liz, that will be an excellent experience for MM! Is he taking classes, or is this a themed camp? Son went to rock and roll camp at UCSC; daughter went to drama camp at UCB; both took some summer classes for younger students on college campuses, especially daughter. All good!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Three weeks at Wellesley! I'm looking over at my three-year-old and am feeling emotional about the idea, Liz.

Esperanza, I'm crossing all appendages for your inspection this morning! And am cheering for your grown-up day.

A small thing that I thought would make you guys smile, since I was enthusing about a local small business: I just got a text from my cousin (who lives in our Old City, in our old basement suite), telling me that our beloved local cheese shop (down the street from our old suite) has expanded again, and takes up a third of the strip mall that it occupies. When we moved to Old City, the cheese shop was this quiet little hole in the wall, which we would visit and spend a solid half hour visiting with the owner and her daughter. When we were last there, we had to take a number, and then wait in a long line! I'm so happy for the owner: seeing this kind, single mom becoming successful makes me so happy.

Other good news: we had an excellent sleep last night, and Mr. Q's snoring was almost nonexistent. Furnace duct cleaning FTW! (You guys, we've spent the past couple of months breathing old cigarette smoke. Yuck.)

Liz said...

CHEESE!!! I credit Wallace and Grommit for the rise in popularity. Also, Chef!

MM's summer thing will be education-adjacent. It's called Explo, and my nephew attended for several years. MM is interested in taking a sketch comedy class and a baking competition class.

kathy a. said...

Oh, that sounds great, Liz! And cool that your nephew has already tested it out, too.

Hooray for the local cheese shop!

Anonymous said...

LIZ!!!!!!!! My daughter is doing the non-sleep-away version of that camp!!!!! And so is my niece!
Maybe they can meet!!!!!!!!
So excited, I am squealing via comment!
--Neighbor Lady

Anonymous said...

And, I think Neighbor Girl is taking a cupcake competition class!!!!!
Maybe the same class?!?!?!?!?
:)
:)
:)
:)
Neighbor Lady

kathy a. said...

OOOH, meetup opportunity!!!!!

Anonymous said...

SQUEEE!!! 1st session probably, 2nd period cupcakes.

Liz on iPhone

Anonymous said...

Oh, Bummer!!!
2nd session for Neighbor Girl!
But still, meet up opportunity on one end or the other? (also, even if they aren't the same session, know that if he needs anything, you can feel free to let us know and we will try to help!)
:)
Neighbor Lady

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I hope this ends up being a meet up opportunity for you guys! So exciting.

kathy a. said...

Meetup! Cupcakes! MM can pass tips to NG! Hooray!

Also, really great to have a nearby emergency person. Just for mama's peace of mind.

Liz said...

Bummer! But we may end up switching if first session is full or if the things he wants to take are full.

esperanza said...

Pixie offspring meetup potential! How fun!

W: too many things in my brain. Forgot to take the check to pay the inspector. But it was ok, because he forgot to ask for it!

AW: House basically ok, a few things we may ask the seller to take care of.



kathy a. said...

Woot! Magical house is on its way!

Off tomorrow to visit SIL at her facility, bring a birthday present, have her try to sign a card for her son. He'll be 16 this month.

Liz said...

NL, I would love to do a meetup either coming or going. MM is pretty excited about the whole thing.

Esperanza, you made me laugh out loud.

Kathy, I'm sending hope for a good day with your SIL.

Sue said...

Cheese! Meet-ups!! Cupcakes!! Comedy!! I'm glad I checked in here before bed. :)

Thinking of you tomorrow on your SIL visit, kathy.

esperanza said...

W: The Day of the Big Albatross Presentation would be a great day to wake up with a stuffy head and *almost no voice* don't you think? UGH! Drinking hot tea with honey and trying to pace myself, because I'm preaching tomorrow, too!

Liz Miller said...

Sending voice returning thoughts

esperanza said...

Thank you, Liz. It's somewhat better.

Sue said...

I hope you continue to feel better esperanza.

kathy a. said...

Hope it goes well, and the albatross launches as expected!

kathy a. said...

Glad I went along to visit my sweetie's sister. He gets so depressed going up there. It's a long drive, and she barely ever lasts 20 minutes...

Her shoulder seems to be OK and not bothering her. Everything else, not so great. She was a little agitated and looked close to tears when we arrived, apparently because she was expecting her first ex and he hasn't shown up. (Like, for years, she has been expecting him every day.) We took a birthday present, which she seemed to like. She tried to sign "Love, Mom" on a card for her son; this time, not one letter was legible. Then she had hot chocolate. Then she wanted to lie down again.

It is very hard to understand much of what she says, except the name of the first ex. She cannot rise without help, which might be part of the falling, because she also cannot remember that. There is a tremor, and her hands look so awkward and crabbed -- more signs of the degeneration.

Her very favorite staff person was there, so it was good to talk with her.

Then we went to a farm store and bought a ton of jam and some "killer chocolate" sauce; and then lunch. Almost like a date! ;)

kathy a. said...

Oh, this was funny. An older lady in the big common room saw me and called out, "Kathy! I remember you!" Which she didn't, because I was not ever associated with a school in the town she mentioned -- but at least she seemed to have fond memories of the other Kathy. So, I thanked her for thinking of me, and wished her a really good day.

esperanza said...

Wow, kathy a, I can see how your sweetie would find that depressing. How difficult.

And you were kind to the kathy-mixup person.

We have Albatross #2 liftoff! It went really well and was actually fun.

kathy a. said...

Fly, Albatross! Fly away!

esperanza said...

W? If you've seen the short video on my fb page, why is it that my boobs look bigger on camera than in real life? After the first take, I had to pull up that tank top, because it was a festival of unprofessional sharing. Yet the tank top seemed quite modest when I left the house. Please explain.

kathy a. said...

I usually blame gravity. And its lack of professional standards.

kathy a. said...

Or, you could have a really good bra, and those are hard to find.

Probably, collusion. But glad it all turned out well in the end!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I nominate "festival of unprofessional sharing" for Mullet! And well done, esperanza! (I suspect the tank top issue was a combination of factors: tank top creep, due to long day and shirt layered on top, in addition to sitting down and being at a certain camera angle, compared to when you stood at the mirror.)

W: a cold has taken over my household, and my child was grumpy, and hid under chairs, during her morning music class.

Miranda said...

Yay for the several exciting fronts, Pixies!!

Movers and a completed albatross, Esperanza. Huzzah!!!

Liz and NL may get to meet while their kids are at the same summer camp. This is almost Freaky Friday. ;)

Kathy a, I'm happy that you and your sweetie had time together in what sounds like horrible visits.

Mom came home on Friday. They gave her diagnoses of vasovagal syncope and renal cyst. Both require follow up but at least she doesn't have something serious.

My latest round with the albatross is done. I learned a new thing at work and now I need to train everyone else.

But in great news: I'm heading back to the Windy City next week for a class. I see several of my favorite people too. I feel like it's my employers birthday gift for me although the class itself is going to be so so dry. I need to know it but it will take some micro rewards to slog through it all.

Running to bed since we have a long day tomorrow. Xoxoxoxo

kathy a. said...

((( Miranda ))) So glad that they figured things out with your mom! And for the other good news. xoxo

Sue said...

Yay, esperanza - great video!!! I second the Mullet nomination - haha!

I'm glad you and your sweetie had a nice lunch date, but oh, the visit sounds heartbreaking.

Miranda, I'm glad they were able to diagnose your mom's troubles.


Anonymous said...

Esperanza, if the video was taken with a cellphone, they tend to make prominent things more prominent. Look at faces in them, and you'll see the noses appear larger than in real life.

Yay Miranda!

I'm sorry your SIL is deteriorating, kathy, and glad you were so kind to the woman who mistook you for a different Kathy.

Liz on cell

kathy a. said...

100. There.

esperanza said...

Miranda, glad your mom is getting some answers. And I hope you can enjoy your trip to the Windy City even if the course is boring.

Liz, it was the built in camera on someone's laptop. I don't know if that is the same difference as a cell phone camera or not. In the grand scheme of Albatross #2, a little cleavage is not such a big deal. I was just startled to see so much of myself on the screen!

My deteriorating voice has not gotten better. Sore throat, ugh. Mr. E is convinced that I have a Man Cold, as he's picked up a lot of slack around here and let me rest.

However, he has gone back to work and the Baboos are currently unsupervised in the tub, so I think this will have to suffice for comment #101.

Liz said...

I just watched the video and, while I've never met you in real life, I can definitively tell you that if you hadn't asked about it here, I wouldn't have noticed anything amiss with your tank-top/bosom area. As it is, I only noticed that there was a slight pulling, probably from being seated.

esperanza said...

ha! But remember that was the second take, post-tank top adjustment :)

kathy a. said...

You have a lovely voice, and did not reveal even an ounce of angst. Just so you know. And, you also looked really good.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

You guys, we missed church again due too sickness, and missed excitement! A couple of our beloved seniors announced that they're getting married this summer and everyone is invited, and (with secret coordination with church leadership, including my dad, who is now proud of himself for keeping the secret so well) did the announcement under the guise that they were coming up to the front to share something during the service. Dad tells me that I need to listen to the recording, because the surprise got a really big reaction. Like, squealing and cheering.

(I got nearly as big of a reaction at home, by telling E that she gets to go to a wedding this summer. I didn't realise that we haven't yet taken her to a wedding!)