Random useless tidbits

So I've been working a few part-time shifts at a law library in New Town and it is giving me an opportunity to put on non-stretchy pants and I kind of dig it.

But mostly it is very quiet and, oh, I do love the quiet. And helping people. Helping people beyond telling them to please use his/her big boy voice and stop whining.

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T and I talked last night about whether or not we were feeling sad about leaving Old Town. Um, neither of us are. I miss certain things like knowing where the hell I'm going once I'm behind the wheel of my car and also my friends. And our house. But most of those come with "but!" 

I never could ever really see my friends because T was always traveling. 

I knew where I was going in my car but I was always rushing because I had to squeeze in errands on my lunch break or on the weekend with a kid in tow while also trying to do many other things in 48 hours before heading back to work.

I felt like I was always alone in our house.

So I miss some things but, honestly, not the entirety of our life there. 

That's not to say that I think everything here in New Town will be Easy Street, but it is proving to certainly be Better Street.

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 Things that are marvelous at Trader Joe's:

• Frozen french toast
• Dark chocolate covered dried cherries
• Power Crunch bars
• Frozen orange chicken (Ezra lost his fool mind with this)

Things that are manky at Trader Joe's:

• Beef stroganoff
• Pepper jack cheese

Other things about Trader Joe's: shopping at the one near us on Sunday night was bleak. Everything produce-wise was picked over. Shopping on a morning at 11:00am? Perfection. No one was there.

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If we go anywhere and Iris spots a PetSmart, Pet Co., Pet Supplies Plus, or any other place where they may or may not sell cats, she thinks we are going to go get "our kitty now?"

If we visit the new house, "Are we getting our kitty now?" 

Homegirl has zeroed in on this cat and will not be deterred.

Possible names being tossed around:

Pookie

Nacho

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I have found the kids a new pediatrician and it's a dramatically different type of practice than their old pediatrician's practice.

The new doctor is one of three pediatricians in the office. A nurse practitioner will answer the line dedicated to questions or concerns. There are two other nurses that do the vaccines, but sometimes the doctors do them and also take the vitals and measurements. They admit at two different hospitals in town and I liked the new pediatrician's reasons for why they might choose one over the other in a particular patient situation. The office itself is small and cozy and super casual. The pediatrician herself--it's an all woman practice--will call Ezra or Iris' name when it's time for the appointment. She goes by Dr. FirstName. The office does "getting to know you" appointments at no charge and she was very attentive and asked questions when talking about Ezra's ear history and Iris' hot mess history. They have Saturday and Sunday hours.

It's a winner.

On Friday we go to the pediatric dentist. Iris is decidedly pro-dentist and Ezra more cautious. I'm hoping it goes as well as the new pediatrician.

I myself have to find a doctor or dentist, but I managed to hit both before we left town so I feel like I might be good for awhile. 

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I have been craving cheeseburgers lately.

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T has been slow to load his shows on the DVR so he's been subjected to watching allllll of my Bravo shows at night. 

God love him he gets most into the housewives of New Jersey and Orange County. New York kind of bores him but he's amused by Ramona's crazy eyes. Oh! And he rather enjoys Tardy to the Party. 

We gave Game of Crowns a go, but after cackling and repeatedly rewinding at the line, "She decided to do curbside check-in and now she's been CHECKED, BITCH." I kinda had to delete it from the DVR. I can only handle so much crazy and Botox at once.

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How about a picture?

Upon donning his sunglasses,
Iris told him, "Ezra, you look
like a rockstar."

That there is a basement!

While we were in North Carolina last week, they dug our basement. Not generally a fan of basements (see also: spider dwellings and locales for v. bad things in scary movies) this one is rather exciting.

Love/hate Tuesday

Love: The carpet in this apartment. It's plush and soft and new and soft and soft.

Hate: Ezra has recently learned to snap and it's non-stop Sharks and the Jets in here with the snapping. Seriously. He's snapping right now on the couch while watching tv. 

Love: I took the kids to an indoor climbing place that Ezra called Jungle Jabba instead of Java.



Hate: Damn Jabba is gross

Love: I feel really settled in the apartment. It doesn't feel like a stop gap. It doesn't feel unliveable and like I'm counting down the minutes to leave. I just really kind of like it here.

Hate: Um, carrying groceries across a parking lot kind of blows quite a bit.

Love: I took the kids to a new zoo on Monday and we met my aunt and the kids' cousins and although we were sweatballs and disgusting (not unlike our friend pictured above), it was really fun.

Hate: I need to find a new nail place and I'm more concerned about this than is reasonable.

Love: We fly out on vacation on Saturday.

Hate: Early in the season hurricanes can harsh the mellow.

Love: Having a Trader Joe's nearby. I shopped slow and leisurely on Sunday. Oh yeah.

Hate: Their beef stroganoff was a little manky.

Love: Also being thirty minutes away from IKEA.

Hate: Eating too many Swedish meatballs. My limit is lower than anticipated.

Love: Good news from a lovely friend about her son. My heart soared this afternoon.

Hate: Cancer, all sorts

Love: Plans to go Columbus-ing again in August to see friends

Hate: Worries about the driving logistics about Ezra and Iris come school time.

Love: Feeling more quiet in my head and heart since moving.



What are you loving and hating?

Things I have lost in the move

1. The mouse to our computer
2. My ring of keys
3. A basket containing some drycleaning of T's
4. Our pots
5. The hamper
6. Rubber spatulas and wooden cooking spoons

Now I'm reasonably sure some of these things just wandered off to storage--the pots, spatulas and wooden spoons--some I'm just pretty damn unsure as to where they are.

My keys I actually lost days before we moved and thought for sure they'd turn up, but...no. I'm also not entirely sure where the hell T's dirty dress pants and shirts went. If they're in storage, see you come December.

So we're in the apartment/temporary housing and it's rather cozy. I've unpacked everything, hung things on the walls (long live Command strips), and put up the curtains, but have yet to procure groceries. I can see us really liking it for the next six months or so. It's spacious and the kids have done well on night two of sharing a room. Night one brought lots of ridiculous giggling, but tonight they just passed cleaned out.

Ezra and I both were weepy as we left the house Tuesday at 3:00pm. I mostly cried when I saw Iris' room. I think it is because I was so happy to have her in it after so long a wait, that it kind of smacked me to see it empty again. 

Last night as we drove back from going out to dinner, I got a bit weepy again seeing lovely neighborhood houses on a lovely summer evening. Sigh.

The news people are foreign here. The businesses on commercials are foreign. I have no idea where anything is. I told T that's it like being on vacation without actually being on vacation.

It's odd but good.