The Crab Chronicles

Grownup Movies

It has been a quiet day without the kids. I actually went to see a grownup movie with my friend Dana, who I rarely get to see, since my weekends are pretty much devoted to the kids. Dana has been a friend for more than 17 years. Wow.

Dana and I both love movies.

We saw a movie called The Kids Are All Right, which starred Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo. The acting was terrific. The dialogue was very witty. It's about two lesbians who have two teenaged children, and the teens decide to meet their sperm donor father, played by Ruffalo.

I would have enjoyed the film a lot more without the graphic sex scenes. I mean graphic. I was horrified. I am not easily horrified, but wow, talk about embarrassing. Now, all but one scene was straight sex, not gay - the one gay scene was actually handled much more tastefully but wow. If they ever show this on TV it will have to be cut a LOT.

I meant to get some writing done this afternoon but it didn't happen. I spent a lot of time job searching.

I did laundry.

Very exciting.

Bruce called and left a message saying they were having fun in the mountains. They were eating lunch at 3:30 in the afternoon, so he must be letting the kids sleep late. Oh well, they're on a mini vacation; I suppose I shouldn't grouse.

 

I am finding it rather hard to be cheerful these days. The temp job ends this week, and then there's nothing. No other job, no unemployment check coming in. I have sent out resumes to a lot of places, and there's always the possibility of more temp work, but I hate uncertainty. I can't plan anything. I am afraid to even buy the kids school clothes. I've told them to make do, for the time being.

However, as Mother pointed out last night, we are people of faith. I need to quit worrying, keep praying, and not let it get me down.

Y'all pray too, OK?!

Music and Missing Them

A quiet, hot day here in Hot-Lanta. I think we topped out around 96.

I spent the day in a climate controlled environment, listening to my iPod and reviewing documents a mile a minute.

I told someone, my iPod is a mishmash of stuff I like and stuff the kids had put on my iTunes before I upgraded their computer. So a typical listening list is something like this:

Frank Sinatra, Luck Be A Lady Tonight // James Taylor, Fire and Rain // Lady Gaga, Poker Face  - I only listen because it cracks me up, thinking of the video of Christopher Walken reading the lyrics // The End of My Pirate Days by Mary Chapin Carpenter // Graceland by Paul Simon // New York State of Mind by Billy Joel // Just the Two of Us by Will Smith

also: Seal, Natalie Merchant, Dream Academy, Judy Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughn

Alesia texted me around 3 and said they had arrived in the mountains and it was "very pretty."

I picked up takeout from Red Lobster for me and Mother for dinner. It was a compromise - she wanted scallops and I wanted to come home and eat in a bathrobe.

OK, I have to be honest here. I miss the kids. I hate how empty this house is now. The only thing I can do to cheer myself up is listen to bluegrass versions of classic rock songs. You haven't lived until you've heard the bluegrass version of "C'Mon Baby Light My Fire."

[The Typepad people have screwed around again and I can't post a video or even a stinkin' LINK! Grrr!!! Go look on YouTube. Sorry.]

This was made a couple of years ago when Bruce was home on leave from Iraq..

Camping

This will be the world's fastest blog post. I am exhausted. What a day.

The air conditioner was fixed, for $200. Sounds high and it is, but it's cheaper than a new one. Thank God for our guy who will fix things instead of just insiste we get a new one. We really can't afford new anything right now.

Bruce is here. He is taking the kids camping up in North Georgia tomorrow, for the weekend. I know they will have fun. I have told him exactly what to do and see and he will ignore it and do exactly what he wants. I told him be sure and eat at Dillard House, where food is served homestyle and there will be enough leftovers for 3 days. [Tried to link to it but the link thing isn't working.]

I got out one of my high school yearbooks and showed it to the kids. I graduated in 1980, so they were horrified by the tacky 1970's hair. I showede them the girls all had the Farrah flip, and how cool they were. I tried to do it with my hair, but I looked like Bill the Cat, so I gave up. I never made friends with the curling iron. I have a cousin who still wears her hair in a 1970's flip.

Bruce brought some chicken he had been marinating in pineapple hcunks and spices and we broiled that for dinner. I made caulflower in cream cheese sauce, which turned out really yummy. You just make a basic white sauce, grate up some cheese, and throw in the cauliflower which has been boiled until tender. Mike calls it "the white trees."

Now, to bed. I am beat. That's all the news I know.

Published Poem

Another hot day, with little to report. Michael made french toast for himself and Alesia this morning. He likes to cook and we encourage it. I am very proud of him.

The poem of mine published in the new book From 9/11 to a New Year is below. It was written last December when my friend Cindy LaJoy was on her amazing adoption journey in Kazakhstan.

Weathering

My old Mazda slices through the wet cold morning world

Windshield wipers thwock thwock.

I hate driving in rain. Anxiety underlines everything.

  The only beauty - tall pines fringing the ashy sky, a fit canopy

to my meditation cave.

  Far west, my sister/friend prepares to journey east.

 I know her journey.

Years ago I sped across the sky to my children.

Warehoused in orphan prisons, their faces engraved on my eyelids,

My only thought was Hold On, Mama’s coming.

 

Five years past, my daughter awoke to her first day as an American.

I cannot forget her - huge eyes, thick straw hair, white stick limbs,

mute behind her Russian language.

We lived in terror together, Mother and Daughter, bonded only

by paper and mutual longing.

Now we fit together like a pair of old shoes, comfortable from the long wearing, separate, yet working together.

 

My son says he misses snow.

We live in a place of rain, a place of tiny winters and lush, expansive summers.

 

Studying for a science test, I explain ice wedging to him by recalling the potholes everywhere in Kazakhstan.

I explain about rivers as he remembers the recent torrent in our backyard that swept away our stone angel.

I explain tributaries by showing how fingers connect to hand.

We talk of weathering, of erosion, of alluvial plains, of steep canyons rising from ancient rivers.

 

I am not a baby! He says indignantly at breakfast. I’m thirteen.

You will always be my baby, even when you have gray hair and a pot belly. My baby.

I labored in planes and fell in snow for you.

Time and water change everything.

 

By Dee Thompson

December 2, 2009

 
This is Michael ice skating on the flooded soccer field behind his orphanage. He is facing the camera. This was made in mid March.

PLEASE make a donation to Antares before this Saturday. We really need to get Diana here for treatment. I will be drawing a raffle winner THIS Sunday. If you want to mail Laura a check, just let me know so I can include you.

Too Hot

I struggled to stay awake all day because I was up half the night last night with leg cramps. Insomnia is my middle name.

Not really. It's actually Elizabeth, which sounds totally unlike me. Unless you think of Elizabveth I of England, who ruled so well for so long, and had reddish hair... yeah, that's me... well not, but I can dream, huh?!?

I got my car back late this afternoon. It never costs less than $350 to get my car fixed, no matter what is wrong. Grrr.... OTOH, I don't have to make a car payment. I told the guy at the Chevron I will drive my Mazda until it dies, then sell it for parts.

I get home, and the air conditioner upstairs is not working right, yet again. Tomorrow we have to call the guy again. Oh joy.

My brother has been promising the kids all summer he would take them "camping," and he finally called and said they would go this weekend, to the mountains. He's renting a cabin however. He is over camping with a tent, and I don't blame him. In the army, he got to "camp" a lot.

My temp job is proving to be more temp than I had thought. They told us this afternoon it will likely only be a few more days and we'll be done. Oh joy.

I wish I had ANYTHING positive to report but I am sitting here "sweating like a whore in church" as my daddy would say.

I rarely watch TV but I get the late night comedians monologues emailed every couple of days from this service. I thought this one from Jimmy Fallon was particularly funny:

"The Kings of Leon only played three songs during their concert in St. Louis because pigeons were pooping on them. Fans called it “disappointing” while the pigeons are calling it "the only way we can express ourselves."

A Comedy of Disasters

Today has been almost a comedy of disasters. One thing after another has happened, to the point I have to laugh, or I will cry.

I got up and ran around this morning to get ready for work, busting out of the door at 8, trying to reach the office by 8:30, which is when I had to be there last week. I was halfway there when I thought YOU IDIOT, you don't have to be there until 9:00 this week. Jeez louise.

Then I looked down and realized the Check Engine light was on in the car. Great.

All day at work, in this very swanky office building, all us temps were sweltering in the big room where we sit, because the air conditioner was malfunctioning. The cold-natured folks were rejoicing. Those of us who are menopausal were not. Finally, after lunch, they brought in big fans, which helped a bit.

After work, I get in the car to come home and it's 93 degrees and HUGE humidity.

Plus, there is a storm brewing. And there's the Check Engine light on again. So I set course for the Chevron station where we get our cars repaired. They stay open until 7.

I am driving north on 85 and the lightning is flashing - about ten huge flashes, very scary - and suddenly all the cars slow to a crawl. Steam starts coming from my hood. Oh great.

I pray, HARD. Lord, let me make it to the Chevron before they close. Don't let the car overheat, blow up, stall out in the middle of the road, or anything else bad - just get me to the Chevron. I take a shortcut, going down back roads, praying and praying.

I finally get to the Chevron, through drenching rain. The guys give me a ride home, since we live 5 minutes away. Great relief.

I just hope it doesn't cost a fortune to fix it. The car is 11 years old but it's paid for and I can't afford a new one.

I get home, and the power has just come back on from being off for more than an hour. Thank God we have a big gas stove. 

In the mail, I have a notice from the bank saying my payment was never received. I am never late on payments. It occurs to me that in teaching myself to pay bills online I have clearly screwed up somehow. Great.  I check the statement and it wasn't paid. I pay it, after dinner, and a movie, and helping Mother get ready for bed, and reading to Mike.

For dinner, with Alesia's help, Mother made Smothered Chicken, one of dad's favorite meals. SO yummy. He had high cholesterol, and instead of fried chicken, Mother devised the smothered chicken recipe for him, with olive oil. It's wonderful stuff. Here's the recipe:

SMOTHERED CHICKEN [BONELESS,SKINLESS BREASTS PIECES ]

 

Take about 6 chicken pieces, wash under cold water, and drain on paper towels, then generously salt and pepper, and allow to stand at least 15 minutes

- in a zip lock bag, place  about a heaping cup of flour, 1 tsp salt , 1 tbl onion powder, and black pepper [ use white pepper if available]   knead the bag to mix ingredients

- in a frying pan, place about 1/4 inch vegetable oil, heat until a drop of water sizzles in the oil

 - place 2 or 3 pieces of chicken in the bag, shake to coat it, then place in the hot oil

 

- add all chicken, in one layer only, try not to crowd it.

 

- saute til golden on each side, remove to a plate

 

- dump most of the flour from the bag into the hot grease, stir, then add about 2 cups water, stir and allow to come to a boil [add onion powder, seasoning salt, etc., to taste] Add at least 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

 

- return chicken pieces to the pan, cover, and allow to cook slowly at least 30 minutes or a little longer.  It should be almost fork tender. If not, cook a little longer.

 

You can add mushrooms when ck is returned to pan.

Best served with hot  biscuits  :0)

BTW, Mom did a cute blog the other day about how children are like little animals. They are, too. Just not as fuzzy. LOL

Heat and Sadness

We have had a peaceful weekend, indeed "somnolent" might be a good adjective to describe it, because it's too HOT to actually DO anything in the afternoons. Even with the air conditioner running it's almost 80 here in the upstairs.

I got out early this morning and tended to my gardens. Michael was good about watering while I was working, but he doesn't take time to pull weeds, or fertilize, or deadhead the flowers. Everything seems to be flourishing, though, which is great. I just haven't had good luck with my cucumbers, which is disappointing. My cukes in the side garden are either tiny or a weird yellow orange color. However, my eggplants are flourishing, and my swiss chard looks good. I may eat some of it tonight.

I found two cantaloupes in my melon garden this morning. My heart leapt with excitement. I brought them in and cut them. One was overripe and inedible, the other was not ripe enough. Oh well... There is a little watermelon out there the size of a softball, and I hope and pray it gets bigger SOON.

The heat is oppressive. Just sitting around the house causes me to sweat.

The air conditioner in my car started acting up Friday night, and I went by the Chevron and had some coolant put in yesterday, but it wasn't cooling. In this weather that's very bad. So I've been driving Mother's car, which is still banged up from the maniac that attacked the car last week. We can't afford repairs until I start back working full-time.

I had to explain to the kids this morning, I am working a temporary job. In two weeks I will be unemployed again. Alesia made some money Friday night helping our neighbor with a party, and Mother suggested she use some of her earnings for school clothes. Alesia was indignant, and said "Mom is working - she has money!"

Um, NO. Not only is my employment situation precarious at best right now, but we have lots of bills. Mike's orthodontia will not be paid for until next spring. I am having to pay my own insurance costs.We just got notice the property taxes are due - more than $4,000, even with the exemptions! Yikes. That one will take a lot of prayer and creativity.

We walk a fine line between trying to get the kids to understand that finances are tight right now, and yet trying not to scare them. I have reassured them over and over that no matter what happens, we will be OK, and we will stay together. I certainly hope and pray we can hang onto the house. I have a friend living in my condo who pays me some cash every month to cover that mortgage; otherwise I would have to let it go.

I am having to get some transcripts from my colleges because I am applying for federal jobs. It's funny - for UT I could do everything online. For UGA, I have to send them a check and wait. I have a copy of my birth certificate in my purse, because so many recruiting agencies require two serious forms of id and a driver's license just won't do it. I had to get a bunch of copies of the birth certificate when I did my adoptions anyway, so I had them.

I have posted before about my friend Jimmy, who has been battling cancer. He passed away yesterday. When I heard the news this morning I just cried and cried. I have cried off and on ever since. I had not seen him since we were kids, but I have been following his journey on Caring Bridge, a wonderful website for people with serious illnesses. He was so brave, and wrote so beautifully. He fought hard. He was a gentle man, a terrific athlete, a man of God, and a dad. I told Alesia this morning, I am so glad he is with the Lord, and so very sad for his family, particularly his children. To die at 48 years old is just so sad. Please say a prayer for his family in this terrible time.  There is more about him here. At the top of the link is a photo of him when he was healthy. That's how I will remember him, healthy and smiling.

Funnies

I thought these were funny...

An elderly couple was on a cruise and it was really stormy. They were standing on the back of the boat watching the storm, when a wave came up and washed the old man overboard. They searched for days and couldn't find him, so the captain sent the old woman back to shore with the promise that he would notify her as soon as they found something.  Three weeks went by and finally the old woman got a fax from the boat. It read: 'Ma'am, sorry to inform you, we found your husband dead at the bottom of the ocean. We hauled him up to the deck and attached to his butt was an oyster and in it was a pearl worth $50,000. Please advise.'   

The old woman faxed back: 'Send me the pearl and re-bait the trap.'

A funeral service is being held for a woman who has just passed away. At the end of the service, the pallbearers are carrying the casket out when they accidentally bump into a wall, jarring the casket. They hear a faint moan. They open the casket and find that the woman is actually alive! She lives for ten more years, and then dies. 
Once again, a ceremony is held, and at the end of it, the pallbearers are again carrying out the casket. As they carry the casket towards the door, the husband cries out, 'Watch that wall!'            

I'm Back

OK, I feel tremendously guilty about not posting more, and keeping y'all up to date about my life, but I have been BUSY.

I worked another lovely 9.5 hour day today. In the middle of the day I went to a job interview in Buckhead. Now, I know what you non-Atlantans are thinkg - "Buckhead" sounds like a rural area, a hunting lodge or something. Um... NO. Think Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Not Hillbillies, HILLS. Yes, we have come a long way, Baby. This is Hot-Lanta.

This is the building where I had my interview:

   

One of the attorneys I talked to had lived in Russia, so when I met him I said "Hello, nice to meet you" in Russian. He was startled, to say the least. I quickly explained I don't really speak Russian, except to say things like "brush your teeth" and "Are you hungry?" but we chatted for some 20 minutes - in English. I didn't tell him to go to bed or brush his teeth or anything.

It's like I told Mother, though, I have walked out of so many interviews lately feeling good, like I had a decent shot at a job, then didn't get it, I am afraid to get my hopes up on this one.

For any job seekers out there who don't already know it, too, Indeed.com is an awesome site. It pulls in job listings from all the other sites. Great resource. 

BITS AND PIECES

Alesia had her first non-babysitting job today. We have a neighbor who is a widow, and she paid Alesia to come and help her get ready for a party and serve food. Alesia had fun, and got to meet some new people. Good for her to get out of the house.

Mom said when I am working, Alesia takes charge of Michael and sounds just like me. Mom heard her tell Michael today "You're not going out of the house without sunscreen!" The apple never falls far from the tree...

I have baby eggplants in the side garden!! I am tremendously excited about that. Now I have to find some awesome eggplant recipes.

When I left my interview today it was 102, according to one local bank. Yikes.

Michael made his own breakfast this morning, including bacon. He made an omelet. He is becoming a good cook, much to my delight.

One of the ladies I am working with sits and listens to music while she reviews documents. No big deal, except she sings while she's doing it. That is getting on my nerves. Patience, Lord...

If you're on Goodreads, add me as a friend. I am always on the lookout for good books. 

Every once in a while I write a poem. To my delighted shock, Annmarie over at Vox Poetica, published one of my poems in her latest collection here.  Thanks Annmarie! You rock, Poetry Gal!

Quickie

I was so tired last night I didn't have the energy to post before hitting the bed. Today is the last 9 1/2 hour day, thanks be to God. I will post more later. Sorry to be so slack. Things are just extremely hectic right now...

Y'all pray for my friend Cindy. One of her children who is mentally ill needs help desperately.