Response to "How are you?"

Well.

The carpet smells like cat piss, but we can replace it, and at least we own a steam cleaner!

The kids have been spending the summer in Rolla with my parents.  It's far, and I'm lonely for them, but they are having a great summer.

The air conditioning at work broke, but the weather was pretty cool (for July) for most of it.  It was pretty bad on Friday, but they fixed it today around noon - before it got too bad.

Josh's grandmother Mroczkowski died.  It was peaceful, and in her sleep.  We brought Uncle Jim some Jamaican food for dinner and helped clean The Room.  The whole experience was weird.

The next day I fell down the basement stairs.  I'm trying to see the humor in it.  Maybe when my bruises don't hurt so much.  I'm grateful that I didn't injure my back, and that I didn't break any fingers on my left hand.  I was wondering for the first few minutes.  In fact, if one must topple down a flight of stairs onto concrete, one would be fortunate to come away with as few injuries as I have.

Today, at work, one of our clients was too personal with me.  I refuse to cause a scene.  I will keep smiling and keep the small talk going even if I am not particularly enjoying the conversation.  Some people think that means I am encouraging them.  With this person, it is worse.  I gave him useful advice once on the phone.  It is no more than what my boss always says.  He called to tell me how grateful he was.  Then he sent thank you cards.  And roses.  At this point, my boss and husband still thought I was exaggerating, fabricating or over reacting.  They both thought it was funny.  Or I was funny for being flustered and annoyed.  Today, this same guy asked me if it would be inappropriate to take me to the zoo.  I said it would be. This was after he tried to hire me for his business, but before he implied that he wanted to call me after his divorce was final.

I promise I wear a wedding ring.

Also, he knows I have kids.  I was actually the most annoyed today because he was prying about my kids and I couldn't politely derail him.  So now he knows their gender and ages.  Which are not his business. 

Moving on.

I am having a party on Friday.  My brother will even be there.  I am excited.  My brother will also be here on the day I had scheduled to clean for the party.  That's going to be a trick.  I think it will work, though.

And now, for the house.

I love my house.  Love it.  I love living in this town, and this neighborhood.  Love.  Love it.  We are slowly moving in, and it is more my space every day.  Best part? 

I.
Have.
A.
Library.
<3 p="">

More later.  This is easier now that the computer is hooked up. 
 

Tired.

I look tired.
I sound tired.
I feel tired.

I'm tired.

The last two weeks feel like an entire season.  So many things have happened.  And I made it home safely from all of them!

Thank you, thank you...

First!  Anja and Markus!  They are so great.  Love them. 

Second!  Osuwa Daiko and Hakuho Daiko:  They arrived, and we picked them up from the airport.  Actually, I was only involved with picking up Osuwa Daiko, come to find out.  Picking people up from the airport is not as easy or nice as it used to be.  I didn't care for it.  But Makoto-san said, "Sugoi Power!" when I lifted his luggage.  That made me giggle.  We drove them to the Garden Apartments.  I didn't know it, but those apartments are normally used for botanists who are doing research at the garden.  Cool, huh?  And they are within walking distance of the garden (Missouri Botanical Garden).

Dinner and rehearsal were rushed and crazy.  There were guests at the studio.  I felt weird and never actually met them, but there were so many more than I had been told about!  Quite a crowd!  We played a few things for Osuwa Daiko, and they commented.

The next day, I stayed home with the kids in the morning, and then left for St. Louis in the afternoon.  We met Hakuho Daiko, and they were very likable.  It was fun, but we didn't end up playing, just watching and helping when we could...which was not much.  That night was my welcome party.  Sadly, one of the Hakuho Daiko girls fell ill and was not able to make it.  The party was epic.  I had it at Belas Artes, which was a perfect location.  We had beer and pizza and snacks and conversation.  It was great.

J-Fest was hot.  It was not comfortable at all, but we still had fun.  Plus, you'll never guess the surprise we had - cookies.  Even though he was not here to bring his wife's cookies, Eddie arranged for us to have cookies at the festival.  We were so touched!  The Sumo wrestlers were glad, too.  We give them cookies sometimes.

The first day I played in the Dashi for 3.5 hours, and performed with my own group, and watched Osuwa Daiko with some friends.  What I didn't do was eat.  I just forgot.  Well, I didn't have time.  Lots of dizziness.  It seemed like forever to get home.  Also, as Michelle and I were walking to the cars, they sky opened up and a month's worth of rain instantly dropped onto us.  I giggled.  It was fun.  I like weather.  However, the shuttle driver very  rudely would not take us to our parking lot.  We had to walk a long way from where he dropped  us off, and because of that, many of my things got wet.  As tired as I was when I finally reached home, I had to take every single thing out of my bag (my next shall be water proof) and lay them out to dry.

The second day, I only spent 2 hours in the Dashi.  I had the salmon onigiri for lunch, and bubble tea.  I was so excited.  I also realized that I was in need of new tabi socks, as the majority of mine are knee length, which wouldn't do in such heat.  Sadly, no one was selling any, except the kimono store - notoriously overpriced.

Needs must.

My new elaborately beautiful ankle length tabi socks are black with a pink and gold hydrangea pattern.  Have I ever mentioned that hydrangeas were in season when I was in Tokyo?  The socks cost twelve dollars.  Maybe you didn't hear that.  I'll say it again.  TWELVE DOLLARS for ONE PAIR of ANKLE LENGTH SOCKS!!!!!

Osuwa Daiko performed at 2 and 7, and we performed at 4:30, I think.  I performed with Osuwa Daiko during the 2:00 show for their song Hiryuu Sandan Gaeshi.  It was a long but fun day, and ended with us all having Italian food on The Hill for dinner.  However, the restaurant wasn't ready for us.  We had to stand for 15 minutes.  Then, there were some inaccuracies with the bill.  Some people were not satisfied with their food, for the price.  We were determined to have fun, so fun was had (Laura even whipped out her violin for some fiddle and tango songs, complete with unscripted dancing) but, on the whole, my parties were both infinitely superior.

Last day of J-Fest was hard to get into at first, because it began with a meeting.  It wasn't a scheduled meeting, so I was nearly heartbroken.  My only free time of the day, which I had promised to my children, was taken up by the meeting.  I couldn't properly appreciate being asked to perform with Osuwa Daiko, after their friends Hakuho Daiko had departed, because I was so sad to have the time taken from my family.  Now I wouldn't even get to sit by them as they watched the show.  However, it is hard not to feel cool when you are on stage with such amazing players.  My show was at noon, and theirs was at 2.  Then, Jaci and I loaded up and rushed back to the studio to prepare for the farewell party.  The set up was not as smooth as the first party.  Jaci was in a hurricane sort of mood.  Nothing I did was right.  I was pretty wound up when people started to arrive.  Then, after the food was delivered, I dropped my plate.  That was it.  I lost it.  I cleaned up my mess, snuck away to a back room, and burst into tears.  But!  No time for that when you are a hostess.  Back into the fray I went, and things were fine.  In fact, the party was another huge success!  The sushi was from Sushi Sen, and it was so good that the Japanese guests were going back for second and third helpings.  The cupcakes were by a friend of Andrew's who has a blog spot called Cupcake Project.  They were amazing.  I am suffering withdrawal.  And I wish I could take credit for it, but we also had a lion dance performance by Nine Dragon Academy!  Then there was a taiko jam session.  Basically, it was a great party.

I bought the kids little hand crocheted Cthuhlus. 

Tuesday morning, I was in a rush to get ready.  I was so tired, but I had to meet everyone at the brewery for a scheduled tour.  I was so worried that the traffic would make me late.  I was in panic mode the whole way.  Then, my directions proved impossible (don't you hate it when that happens?) and I had to call someone and ask how to get there from what ended up being around the corner.  I arrived on time with about 2 minutes to spare - only to discover that I was wearing the wrong shoes.  Closed toed shoes only.  I couldn't go on the tour, after all.  Andrew gave his closed toed shoes to one of the guests, so he and I went on the free tour together.  Not all bad.  I discovered that they do sell a cider...I've just never run across it for sale.  Then, they chose a lunch place, but they took a long time deciding, so I had to rush home and get the kids from school.

To recap:  I went all the way to St. Louis to not go on the tour and not have lunch. 

Fast forward to this weekend:  Springfield festival seemed small after our huge one, but everyone was so sweet and friendly.  They always are.  It's truly a joy to play for them.  My mommy came and saw my show on Saturday, and my neighbor growing up saw it on Sunday.  I think I autographed about 7 or so CDs.  The other news about Springfield included a fantastic but huge dinner at Haruno, ONI socks for Laura, tequila, too much sunshine and heat, Calpico (Yum!!), and an awesome samurai/ninja show.

And the hotel.

The hotel was the same Howard Johnson that we stayed in last year.  I also am inclined to think that Tylar had his wedding reception there.  VERY familiar vibes near the ballroom.  Theresa and I were rooming together.  The room smelled overwhelmingly of mildew, but we decided not to say anything.  So minor, right?  The first morning, though, we discovered the cause.  There was a HOLE in the shower.  It leaked all the way to the carpeted area!  That was too much.  We had to switch rooms.  Funnily, Jaci came with us, so she could complain about her air conditioning not working.  Also, Michelle said her refrigerator was supposed to be there....but wasn't.  Huh???  Then, later, we discovered something.  The hotel was closing.  THAT DAY.  We were the last guests.  Ever.  I guess that explains why they hadn't fished the telephone receiver out of the swimming pool......

Anyway, It seems like August was so long ago!

This is my last confirmed week at work.  I was told to stop by the desk when I get in tomorrow, but I don't think it's about extending anything.  They just want me to stay all day tomorrow.  I've been applying for jobs, but no luck at all.

This weekend, we need to get the oil changed in my car, and also get new tires for it.  Maybe we can have Fox pizza while we wait.  Mmmmm!  Then, we leave for vacation on Wednesday.  WHEW!

And how are you?

No Wing Zone

Hello, Friends. How are you? I am tired, but doing okay. We are watching Celtic Woman: A New Journey. Sorry, no Superbowling at my house today.

It does feel strange. I always used to throw parties for the Superbowl, but these days Josh works Sundays, and so.... And so I'm left with a craving for Mansnacks.

We had a party yesterday and no one came. Depressing. Our neighbors were here, and Johnny, but he wasn't feeling well and left early. We had wine and played Zombie Fluxx, and it was fun. Everyone was gone by 10:15, so we watched The Princess Bride under my favorite electric blanket. Josh takes these things personally, though. His work buddies didn't show, so he's not bringing bacon smokies for the Superbowl today. Well, he claims the two events are unrelated.

Josh and I watched The King's Speech the other night, after Mom picked up the kids. We bought goofy candy, too, for Valentines' Day. We thought the movie was okay. Very well acted, but I thought it depicted a somewhat one-sided friendship, especially there at the end.

We are still looking for our dream jobs. If Josh can get his, then that frees me up considerably, and then, once happily employed, we can find a house in the area we want to be (etc, etc...). Well, it's a lovely thought. And winning the lottery wouldn't hurt, either.

I feel like salmon flavored cream cheese and Ritz crackers. I don't have any, but that's what I feel like.

The kids aren't really watching this DVD, but I am. That Miraid Nesbit is such a DOLL! She just looks like she is having so much fun up there. It's contagious. Did you ever notice that she holds her bow funny? Well, she's amazing, so I won't question it, but she holds it so far up! I'm surprised her instructors didn't train her away from it.

Well, I'm tired, tired and tired. I think I might be almost healthy again, too.

I hope you all enjoy the Superbowl! Eat some comfort food for me! I think I need to go on a diet after my weekend of overindulgence. By the way, if you are one of the ones I sent the recipe for cauliflower pizza crust to, our great friends in K.C. made it and pronounced it AMAZING! Thanks to my cousin A for that!!! So glad to share, and I almost have Josh convinced that we should try it, too!

Do I really have to work tomorrow at 5:30? Boo.

Extra big hugs to my friend Laura C, and Master Awesome. And you.

Doozy

Well, it did snow. It snowed and MODOT put salt on the roads, which helped a little, but the temperatures were so low that the freshly melted snow just turned into ice. It wasn't the greatest for driving on, but everyone I know made it through just fine. I couldn't go to taiko because Josh's mom and dad said the conditions by their house weren't the best.

But you want to hear about Abbie's birthday, don't you?

Well! I spent the morning bathing kids and stuff. I was making the tea when people started showing up. Molly's little cheesecakes were beautiful, and she made a heart shaped one for Abbie's birthday candle. Molly is fantastic. Jenn, Bill and Carter (and Larry) came, too, and Heather and Renee, and Mackenzie, and the Kieths from down the street (Kirk didn't remember to return my book), and Big Chris' family and Johnny and Wyatt. That's a funny story. Josh called him that morning and asked, "Um..did I invite you to Abbie's birthday? It's today at 2." And he came.

The jasmine tea was a big hit (not surprising) and I probably should have made it in a bigger pot, but it just looked so pretty in my bamboo pot from China Pete's in Tokyo! We also had plenty of sweet treats, and to prove that I can also be healthy, I had a bowl of olives, and a plate with baby carrots and dried cherries and I had cashews in the square "nut bowl". My mother always put nuts in it, so I do, too. In addition to the jasmine tea, I had English breakfast, too, and I made a pot of hot chocolate from the Penzey's mix that dear Caroline gave me. The kids mostly drank apple juice.

Renee wore her witch costume, and Bree came as a pirate. Carter was a taiko drummer in a blue happi coat, Grant was a knight and Abbie was a butterfly for a while, until she decided to take the wings off and just be a princess. Wyatt didn't come in costume, and Zoi accidentally spilled milk on hers on the way, so she was costumeless, too. When she first came in, Abbie screamed, "BABBY ZOI!" and ran up and tackled her with hugs and kisses. Zoi cried. But she got over it later, and had a marvelous time. She loved Jake. Even Carter, who doesn't dig dogs at all, really seemed to like Jake. He almost went home with several of our guests. I was expecting Little Chris and his three girls, but he forgot and took a job. Woops.

The party was great! The last guests were leaving around 8pm, and I was wondering if I should try and run out to Helena's birthday when it started. Sneezes. Lots of sneezes. And then - I was sick. It's the worst head cold I've had in years. I slept badly. Yesterday I spent miserable and in bed. If I lie down, my back gets sore. If I get up, I get dizzy. And no matter whether I'm lying down or standing up, I can't breathe. And if you are me, that means you can't fall asleep. Why am I like that? I absolutely can't fall asleep unless I can breathe through my nose. So I got about 45 minutes of sleep last night. I have yellowish skin, big dark circles, swollen lymph nodes...I could go on, but you get the idea. I'm pretty much sick and in need of sleep.

The taiko guys told me not to come and infect them. Well, they were probably right.

I watched movies yesterday. Music and Lyrics = pretty cute. Coraline = too scary for kids. Really. But I liked it. I'm not sure Josh did. We saw Ghost Town the other night, and it was different enough to be worth the watching. Didn't make my immediate list of favorites, but I enjoyed it. The kids didn't really dig me and Josh hiding in my room all morning, so I told Josh we could all watch something in there together after dinner. We had traditional Robinson "sicky" soup. It's the Liptons instant noodle soup with real chicken broth. For our movie, the kids got to see the second Harry Potter move for the first time. Abbie's favorite part is the baby mandrakes, and Grant's favorite was when Harry gave Dobby the sock.

It's snowing some more. My mother just called. She heard my voice and told me to go to bed. Well, after lunch I might just do that.

Tomorrow I am going to be all healthy. We have a meeting instead of taiko practice. And I want to not be sick. :(

Mom says that Dad is behaving himself more than expected. When he realized that he would be able to go camping with my uncle in March if he follows the doctor's orders, he decided to follow them. So he's being a good patient....for him.

Hope your week is starting off well. I'm gonna go be sick now.