Improvements

Many years ago, I worked with a Welsh ex-pat who had manged to live and work on many continents without losing the traits that we all tend to think of when we envision Brits. He was new to life in the U.S. and I loved hearing about his view of our country and of Americans. He became instantly absorbed in American politics. The fact that he arrived smack in the middle of the Monica Lewinsky scandal was just brilliant timing on his part.

One thing he said has always stuck with me. He was musing about fact that Americans didn't seem to be home much in the evening and how it was nearly impossible to reach one on the phone in the hours immediately following work. "You Americans" he said, with a mixture of awe and torment "you're always out improving yourselves."

And I often think of him and that comment when I am awake into the morning hours frosting cupcakes for Kiddo's class or on a 15 mile run.

In December, I took a master class in French cooking at L'Espalier in Boston. It wasn't a cooking lesson a la Food Network, it was more like a meditation on what goes into taking quality ingredients and making them into really great food. That, and tasting a lot of wine and cheese. I've taken away techniques and strategies that I know I'll be able to use for years, and that's pretty awesome.

Earlier this month, I ran my first marathon. It was something I decided I wanted to do after running my first half marathon two years ago but I didn't commit to a race until I registered last June. It was a pretty easy six months of training and although it doesn't seem like that huge an accomplishment now that I've done it, I am pretty amazed at what my body and mind were able to do. Having gone through it all now, even with imperfect knees and ankles, I can say that marathon running is a mental game that you play with yourself. It's an act of stubborn will and I'm one stubborn person. I can't believe it took me so long to find the perfect sport for myself.

I had a moment that pretty much cemented my status as a full-fledged graduate student this week. A coworker had an emergency and needed to be taken to the ER in an ambulance. I told her I'd follow close behind. On my way to grab my coat and keys, I grabbed a text book. I start to twitch if I don't have a book with me. I read at red lights, when I'm on hold, really just about anywhere and I stood there in the hallway outside the exam room waiting for her with my nose in a book.

She's fine, thank goodness. And I finished an entire chapter.

Status

House: empty except for me, the cats, the hermit crabs, and Peanut, the class hamster who we are entrusted to Not Kill and return at the end of Thanksgiving vacation. Oh yeah, week off. Score!

Body:
*Hair- later this morning, I am going to have my first hair cut since the school year started. Am dreading showing the bangs I cut by myself and the home hair color. I am a shade so dark that I'm sucking all the light in the room.
*Calves, glutes, hamstrings, lower back- stiff, although much less than expected, from a 19 mile run yesterday. My race is in about 7ish weeks and I'm beside myself with worry that I don't have the knees to go a full 26.

House: Chaos and disaster end-to-end. Cupboards bare, unchecked cat hair proliferation. Closing down the office for end of term means not much of anything gets done around here.

Today: I can stop at Whole Foods on the way to my haircut and not worry about the groceries rotting in my trunk. It's 23 degrees outside. Thank you, Mother Nature, for allowing me to multitask. After my haircut, I'm going to Boston to collect the kidlet from Nana's house. Hubby's working, but thinks he can get out early. Looking forward to a cozy evening at home with the fam after a raucous evening with the lady friends and a viewing of Twilight. This next line's for Arwen "I loved that movie." I can assure you she's having a hearty laugh for herself right now.

I wish I had something more exciting to post today, but 'not having much to do but catch up' has me hot and bothered. It's very exciting to me.

And she called this one "too tired from the weekend to craft a pithy title"

I thank that has a nice ring to it, don't you?

Speaking of rings, I got a call from a friend of mine on Friday night asking for a "huge favor." This friend also happened to be at the rehearsal dinner for her wedding that's scheduled to take place the following day. Sure, I say, you name it. Well, the task for me involves showing up at the jeweler an hour before the wedding to pick up her ring which (insert long fussy bride story here) should probably be ready in time for the ceremony. Of course I agree and am seized with panic.

Next day, I arrive at the appointed hour and wait 20 minutes for GIAA paperwork, credit card approval, and a hundred other things they could have taken care of before I got there. I leave with 40 minutes to make it to a church that is 30 minutes away. Having passed a major accident on the highway on my way to the jeweler, I decide to back road it.

Cue ominous music. I get lost. Of course I do.

The wedding was in a leafy Boston suburb where all the roads and churches look pretty much the same. It's now ten minutes before the ceremony and I am LOST. Luckily I noticed a speed trap a mile or so back and decided to bang a u-ey and ask the nice officer for directions. This is the part where I'm grateful to be in a small town. The officer hears that I'm lost and carrying the bride's ring and says two words "follow me."

I got a police escort to the door of the church and made it with five minutes to spare. As I was speeding behind the cruiser, I was thinking a lot of things. First, I was thinking I have to call my friend because this officer is really cute. Then I was thinking that this experience was a metaphor for this marriage; though there were missteps and times they felt they'd never make it, a lot of love, friendship, and support saw that in the end, everything was as it should be.

The reception emptied out as if the place was on fire at 7:30- that gave everyone time to plant themselves in front of their TV's for two sleepless nights of October baseball. I can't say I'm happy to see my team lose. But I am looking forward to a few good nights' sleep.

404 No More

After a year without posting regularly, I return to tell you what I learned today, and that is, the techo chicken dance is just like the regular chicken dance, only techno.

There are many who say that children are here to teach their parents. I'm sure those people probably knew about the techno chicken dance, too.

'Sell By' Date

Cape Buffalo and Fear and Loathing in Stepford have expired. I tried to ignore the stink by just keeping the door to the fridge closed but I knew I'd have to go back in eventually either to continue with the mediocre once-or-twice a month posting thing I've been doing for most of the last year or hold my nose and take care of things once and for all.

So here I am. The end of the line. No more mommy blog.

When I first started writing and reading blogs, it was affirming to find so many like-minded people out there who seemed like they'd be really great drinking buddies and who helped remind me that certain aspects of being human while also being a parent are universal. Keeping up my 'mom blogger persona' has become more and more difficult, and lately I've felt as though I'm writing in the voice of a stranger.

In the nearly three years since I started this site, much has changed in my life and in the lives of my favorite bloggers. The most important thing is that my beautiful daughter is growing and growing and needing me more, not less (phew). When I started this blog, she was a princess-obsessed preschooler. Now she's in second grade; writer of book reports, warrior of the pre-tween social jungle, gymnast, competitor. How she has grown.

Parenting for lo these eight years have taught me that kids never stop needing their parents, but the shape of that need changes. Its first shape is of warm arms to enfold, feed, and comfort. All too soon you're a human jungle gym, chauffeur, social coordinator and homework helper. Always the anchor, the safe harbor.

I've changed and grown, the Kiddo has changed and grown. Hubby has completed grad school and is building a new career. We've moved twice. We lost a cat and gained two new ones. That's a hell of a lot of living in three years.

I thank those of you who were kind enough to join me along the way. I have enjoyed learning about you through your sites and even meeting a few of you. I'll continue to check in on you from time to time.

Wishing you all the best.

for the last time,
C.B.