Best Laid Plans

So my plan for the weekend was this:

Friday evening - get some work done

Saturday morning - get some work done

Saturday afternoon - go see a friend in a ballroom dance competition

Saturday night - meet up with friends

Sunday morning - hang out with friends

Sunday afternoon - get some work done

Sunday evening - get some work done

Monday morning - get some work done

Monday afternoon - watch the marathon

Monday evening - go to trivia night


Here's how my weekend has actually gone so far:

Friday evening - stay at home because I'm too exhausted from my week to get any work done. Kick some ass in Scramble (without any help).

Saturday morning - get up late, do some laundry, go for a run

Saturday afternoon - realize there's not enough time to get any significant amount of work done before the ballroom dance competition. Invite a friend over to hang out. Head to ballroom dance competition. Enjoy immensely.

Saturday night - meet up with a friend for dinner, then head to an improv show. Then meet up with friends from out of town.

Sunday morning - breakfast with friend. Get home... start feeling sick.

Sunday afternoon - sleep, be sick, sleep, watch West Wing on DVD.



This brings us to Sunday evening (now). I really need to make up for the lack of work done so far this weekend, but my splitting headache and wonky stomach aren't motivating me all that much to do so. And there are multiple West Wing episodes to be watched, and Monk and Psych are both on NBC tonight, and... and... and...

But it does leave an unbelievable amount of work to be done tomorrow if I do nothing tonight.


On a side note, if any of you ever get the opportunity to attend a ballroom dance competition, I highly recommend going (especially if it's free). It's fun. As the level of skill increases, so does the level of complexity of the costumes. It's just like you would imagine, only you're there in person to witness it, and you can't stop grinning because it's so surreal and yet so cool. And the dresses... wow.

Also, watching ballroom dancing is a lot more stressful than you might think - especially when watching from high up in the bleachers. From that angle, you see very clearly which couples are heading for a crash with each other, and it gets quite anxiety-producing (especially if the couple you're there to see is involved in such a crash).

Favorite dances: Quickstep (because - wow - that takes some skill) and Viennese Waltz (it just looks so grand with those long, flowy dresses).

Why I Love My Job

Part I:
Last fall, I met with a family whose newborn son had been born with some serious health complications. Eventually it was determined that he had a very rare disease that would be life-limiting. The family was devestated, but also optimistic, and through their faith and strength, they faced the uncertain future of their baby with a sense of determination and also peace.

During their stay, I would often go check in on whichever parent was around, just to give them the opportunity for adult conversation. We'd talk about their children and family and friends and life in general, and they'd ask me about school and my life as well. As an intern, I was aware of the fine line between sharing too much about my personal life with this family, and at the same time, I knew that what they needed at that point was conversation that didn't revolve around their son's health issues, and so I shared with them little stories about school and such.

This family has returned to the hospital for outpatient visits since their original stay, but my schedule hasn't allowed me to drop in and say hi.

Yesterday I managed to catch them, and when the mother saw me her face lit up. We talked and caught up. She told me that though her son wasn't doing any better, they had managed to take a trip to her native country so that her family could meet him. She still had the same positive attitude and peaceful demeanor that I remembered. And most surprisingly, she remembered things about my life that I had shared in our conversations so long ago. She asked about school and my plans for the future, and pulled out details that even I had forgotten I had shared.

It was incredible to re-connect with this mother, and to know that I was as memorable to her as she was to me. I left work with a smile on my face.

Part II:
Today I was riding an elevator with a patient, her younger brother, and their mother. The younger brother was jumping out of his skin with excitement, and when I commented that it looked as though they were going on an adventure, he said, "We're going to see firemen!" All of the family members looked so excited to be getting out of their hospital rooms and going to a hospital event.

I followed them to the event and hung out in the back for a while. It turned out to be a policeman and not a fireman who was there, but the little boy didn't seem to mind.

It was a nice break to my day, and I continued on my way.

As it happens it was a rather slow day today, and so later on I was walking up the stairs and saw a sign - hand-made by someone who I am guessing is about 10 - advertising a magic show.

So I stopped to watch.

If any of you ever need to have your day improved significantly, I highly recommend watching a children's magic show. Not for the magic, but for the reactions of the kids.

There was laughter, there was shouting, there was one kid who just kept exclaiming excitedly "No way!" every time the magician performed a trick.

I couldn't stop grinning. And I still can't.

All the difficult days I've had here were erased with the sights and sounds of a room full of sick kids and their parents being given the opportunity to forget their illnesses for a few minutes and just be kids.

I love this place.

Classic Fibby

My cousin decided it would be fun to scan in some old family photos and to email them to me. I refuse to post the photo of me with big glasses and a hairdo reminiscant of Mary Poppins, but I will share this one.

Play Ball! - Addendum

I have just been informed of another way that people celebrate opening day: giving birth. Apparently, in addition to all of the really exciting things that happened in my life yesterday that I was actively a part of (and that had nothing to do with baseball), an even more exciting thing took place that I wasn't witness to:

Baby Girl HebMo made her grand entrance onto this planet.



Welcome to the world, little one. I'm madly in love with you already and I haven't even met you.

Play Ball!

Some people celebrate opening day by going to the game.

Some celebrate by watching the game on TV.

Some celebrate by getting free ice cream.

Me? Despite the fact that I work blocks from Fenway, my day was spent:

- Following up with a depressed teenage boy who was just diagnosed with a rare chronic illness

- Meeting with a mother to determine the level of medical noncompliance taking place regarding her teenage daughter's medical regimine

- Facilitating a presentation in Class #1 on the topic of family preservation when dealing with medical noncompliance as a result of religious beliefs.

- Sitting through 2 1/2 hours of 10-minute presentations in Class #2.

- Meeting with my landlord to negotiate rent (she wanted to raise it $500, we didn't) (we won)



I did purchase a pair of Red Sox earrings on my way to work in the morning, though, so all was not lost.

Glass Half-Full

It is only appropriate after my last post about my mother finding a matchmaker to help me get a date that I get a call from my sister telling me she is engaged.

Now let me first just say for the record that I am absolutely excited for her and I love her and I love her fiance and she deserves all the happiness that will come to her with this wonderful man.

And yet... she's my little sister. And in less than 6 months she has purchased a house and gotten engaged. I think I'm starting to understand a little bit how it must feel to be a younger sibling, watching your older sibling go through all the important life milestones first and being happy and also jealous at the same time.

I'm not a glass-half-empty kind of person by nature. I'm really happy with where my life is right now and I'm not the type to feel sorry for myself about being single. And yet there's a piece of me that is definitely getting a little down that I haven't yet found someone with whom I can spend my life.

A few years ago, my standard line was, "I know there is someone out there and I'm not worried - I'm sure we'll find each other." I still think that today, but I have to admit I've now considered that it might not happen. DON'T WORRY reader friends - I haven't considered it too seriously. I'm definitely not giving up. But the fact that I've admitted to myself that this whole "finding a life partner" thing might be a little harder than all my coupled friends make it look is noteworthy, I think.

I had a friend who told me recently that she had been thinking about all her single friends and could say why all of them were single... except me. Now of course she could have been saying that to be nice, but I like to think she meant it. I definitely have single friends who are single for good reason (and often don't know that reason), and I also have single friends who are absolutely relationship-ready, but just can't seem to find that person.

I've been "relationship-ready" for a while now. It didn't come easy - there was a lot of soul-searching through reflection, conversation, bad dates, and bad poetry before I figured out who I was and what I wanted. And now I know exactly what I want and unlike the me of years past, I'm not willing to settle for less.

But is that really a bad thing? I like that I'm clear about what I want. I like that I know what I'm worth and that I know (after some memorable experiences) I don't have to or want to settle for less. I believe that I can have funny and kind and intelligent and independent and adventurous and mellow and sexy and an understanding of the rules of basic grammar all in one person.

Most importantly, I still believe I can find that person.

So this is a public pep-talk, I guess. A reminder to myself that despite all signs pointing to the contrary, I will most likely not end up an old maid. (And a reminder to all of you out there who are reading this and who are in relationships that the LAST thing I want to hear is any variation on the popular, "Yeah, it's tough out there, but you'll find someone!")

The fact of the matter is that though I haven't found someone for myself yet, I can still be really excited and happy for the other people in my life who have. And it's not like I don't get to have some fun in the process too - fun weddings to attend, the honor of officiating and/or being the maid of honor in a few, and now the baby showers (oh, the baby showers!).

There are times that I feel that I am overflowing with happiness for others. But it is shared happiness, and it is mine just as much as it is theirs. I feel so lucky to share in the lives of so many incredible people. And though I haven't found funny and kind and intelligent and independent and adventurous and mellow and sexy and an understanding of the rules of basic grammar all in one person just yet, my friends encompass all of those qualities and can fill that role in the meantime.

So for now, I continue to celebrate life milestones with others, and to trust that the happiness of finding a partner-in-crime-for-life will come to me to.

It Has Come to This

My parents just returned from a well-deserved trip to Costa Rica. They were celebrating my mom's retirement, and also just taking some time away from their busy lives (yes, retired people can be busy too!). When they returned, they told me about the flowers and wildlife they saw, and the adventures they had (Dad on a zip line!). But there was one thing they forgot about... until tonight.

Tonight my mom called to catch up, and as we were talking, she said, "Oh - I almost forgot to tell you about this..." Well, it turns out that she befriended a woman on the trip who, in addition to her day job, also likes to do some matchmaking. I'm not sure if this factoid came up before or after my mother mentioned that she had an eligible daughter, but it came up. And the matchmaker lady shared that the son of a friend lives in Boston and is a good catch and perhaps she could set us up.

Now for those of you who don't know my mother, let me just say that she's not the type to make suggestions about how I should go about living my life (mostly because she learned early on that I rarely took her advice on such matters). She is entirely non-obtrusive, and also entirely supportive, and she is definitely not the type to be pressuring me to get married or to give her grandchildren.

So there I was on the phone with my mother, thinking, "Really? It has come to this?" and laughing at the absurdity of it all.

But, like a true soon-to-be-entering-her-4th-decade-on-this-earth single female, I agreed and by day's end, there was an email cc-ed to me from my mother to her matchmaker friend, giving her the go-ahead to proceed with the matchmaking.

Really?!

Headline on MSNBC.com today:

Study: Slobby Guys Create More Work for Wives

This is news?! Really!?

Big Brother

I don't have an older brother. But Seth comes pretty damn close. I've known him since high school when we sat next to each other in band. He went off to college and I followed him 2 years later (well, one and a half, if you want to be technical).

Over the years, he shared his love of laughing (and Monty Python), his class-skipping techniques, his wisdom, and his hugs with me. We've seen each other through major breakups. We've left each other countless voicemail messages. And almost 2 years ago, I was honored to officiate his wedding ceremony.

Today is Seth's birthday. If I lived closer to him, I would celebrate with him, but since I don't, I'm using the internet to send my good wishes (and a virtual cake).



Happy Birthday Seth!

In Treatment

Last night there was nothing on television, and so I checked out In Treatment, which I had been meaning to do for a while. I don't have HBO, so I watched a bunch of the episodes online and found them to be fascinating. It might be the fact that I'm a social worker, but I was immediately hooked.

That said, there are some things I didn't love. I felt some of the dialog was too awkward and scripted. I think Paul makes a little too much use of the "How did that make you feel?" question, which makes him sound like the stereotypical shrink. And, of course, there's the unrealistic amount of drama that seems to be a requirement for any television drama show out there.

What do I mean? Well, Paul is a therapist. He sees clients all day. These clients have issues (some more serious than others... we assume he has more than the 4 clients we see, and that we're just getting to see the ones with the most interesting stories). Those people already bring their own drama: relationship confusion, suicide attempts, family relationship issues, etc. That level of drama, though high, is believable because those are the kinds of things that therapists deal with regularly as they help people.

What I found a little over-the-top was the fact that Paul's personal life falls to shambles within the first few episodes. This isn't to say that therapists don't have challenging personal lives every now and then, but the writers took his personal life crises from 0-60 in the span of three episodes. I understand that the angle of a therapist examining his own life troubles while also being a therapist to others who are examining theirs is interesting. But do his life troubles have to be so big?

Twenty-five of each twenty-seven minute episode is spent in a therapy session, with just two people talking (or three, in the case of the couple who are in therapy). It is intense and raw and powerful. And at the same time, there is something about it that I just couldn't connect with.

But I kept watching. So HBO must be doing something right.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This past weekend I purchased a Wii online (thankyouverymuch, eBay), and last night it arrived.

I have been obsessing about getting a Wii for a while now, and found an auction where I didn't have to overbid, so I went for it.

Of course, it came yesterday, which is the day of the week when I speed walk home from work, scarf down a bowl of cereal for dinner, and then race off to babysit. So when I got home and saw the boxes, all I could do was wave at them. Lucky for me, the parents I sit for on Wednesdays never stay out late, so I came home and set it all up and bowled and boxed and loved every second of it.

And, as I had hoped, I am sore today (hopefully from the boxing and not the bowling), which already justifies the expense (Gym membership or Wii? Wii, of course!).

So tonight I'm grabbing pizza with a friend, and then we're coming back to my house to play any of the 14 Wii games I now own (I got Wii Play in addition to Wii Games and have 2 of each controller, so we can even box together!).

Bring on the fun. Bring on the sore muscles. Bring on the friends coming out of the woodwork wanting to come over and play Wii.

Round Things Roll

I hated high school chemistry. However, I got through it because my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Brown, was awesome. Though I've managed to forget most of that class, one lesson sticks out in my head. We were all paired up around our test tubes and bunsen burners and all of the sudden we heard the unmistakable sound of a test tube crashing to the floor. Without missing a beat, Mr. Brown made use of the teachable moment by exclaiming, "Look - round things roll!" A reminder to all of us not to leave our test tubes unsupervised, but said in a silly way that kept anyone from feeling badly about the broken test tube.

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When I was home in Maine a few weeks ago, I went to Marden's and along with a whole lot of yarn and a few dress shirts, I picked up some Easter egg dye. I figured I could have some friends over for an egg dyeing party sometime before Easter.

Last weekend when I did my grocery shopping, I picked up a few cartons of eggs in preparation for the easter egg dyeing festivities. It wasn't until after I had purchased all the egg dyeing supplies that I looked at my calendar and realized that between classes, babysitting, and dinner at my friends' house, I didn't have any free time to host an egg dyeing party.

Sooo, I called up my friends who were hosting the Friday night dinner and asked if they thought it would be fun to do egg dyeing after dinner. Always up for an adventure, they said yes. There were six of us at dinner, and we all had a blast sitting around after dinner and decorating eggs. I came back home with 8 colorful hard-boiled eggs that night.

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For the past two mornings, I have fixed my usual breakfast of cereal, and also a hard boiled egg.

For the past two mornings, I have put the hard boiled egg on the counter while I poured my cereal and milk.

And for the past two mornings, my egg has rolled off the table and crashed to the floor.

Apparently, round things (still) roll.

Survivor: Micronesia - Episode 7

Ah, you sneaky Episode 7, coming on a Wednesday night this week.

I had just enough time to watch before heading to work this morning (I like a leisurely breakfast) and here are my thoughts:

- I loved Cirie the last time she played, but this time, she just annoys me. I understand that she's not a strong swimmer, but she stayed on the boat, so why was she complaining and making a big deal about it. Shouldn't she know by now that no one likes a whiner?

- Speaking of complaining, all the girls sitting around complaining about Ozzy and Erik getting coconuts was just rediculous - the guys are getting them food while they sit on their butts. I don't think they're in a position to be complaining.

- Kathy's departure... Explain this to me. Isn't there some rule about not being able to go home or be in touch with family even if you leave early because then people would know you didn't make it for the whole time? Maybe that's only for the jury? I'm just confused because if I'm right, then how will Kathy be able to be in touch with her family, even if she leaves the game?

- I loved James' Yoda-like wisdom after Kathy left. Not sure when he became a wise old man, but it showed a different side of him and I liked it.

- Was Ami on crack when she said that she thought that Tracy was more into the game than Erik? Really, Ami? Really? When was the last time Tracy climbed a tree for coconuts? Or did anything useful, for that matter?

Quote of the week: "I don't want anyone to think that I'm quitting" (Kathy, when talking to Jeff and her tribe) Ummmm... but you are.

Runner-up quote of the week: "This game IS called Survivor." (James - when pointing out that all the girls on his tribe do is complain)

Sunday Fun

If you usually spend your Sunday nights sitting around and dreading the fact that Monday morning is just around the corner, I highly recommend getting yourself to the nearest imax theater and catching the U2 3D concert movie.

Movies in 3D are crazy anyway, but this was like nothing I had ever seen.

I also recommend spending your Sunday afternoon with a good friend, wandering through a local bookstore and then sitting in a coffee shop for a while. Neither requires conversation, but both offer the opportunity for interaction if desired, which is a nice. It's also fun to wander around together and look at the drunk St. Patrick's Day revelers, then go get dinner before the movie.

And before all that relaxation time, I highly recommend doing lots of productive things like paying bills and grocery shopping and cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry. And if you can find the time to purchase a new hair product that makes your hair feel silky-smooth, then do that too.

In all, a great Sunday and one I'd repeat again anytime.

Survivor: Micronesia - Episodes 1-6

Ok, so I haven't been doing weekly blog entries about Survivor this season because I haven't had the time, but I'm on break this week and trying to catch up on some things and so here I am.

I don't have many specifics to talk about, but here are a few:

1. Chet. He SUCKED. Seriously - he was the most pathetic contestant ever to be on the show. He never once looked like he was trying, and definitely never once looked like he was in the game to win it. Mostly, he just looked consistantly surprised that he was in the game at all, and that he kept avoiding getting voted out. I loved that Probst didn't even try to talk him out of volunteering to go home. I can't think of another time that Jeff hasn't guilt-tripped the person who wants to go home when he has found out about it. That says a lot. Good riddance, Chet. I can't believe you got this far.

2. Speaking of Jeff, I also can't remember a past time when Jeff has had such a heartfelt goodbye with a contestant who has had to leave for medical reasons. Perhaps that's because other medical reasons have been more urgent, and haven't allowed for official goodbyes, but I was really touched by his goodbye to Jonathan. Side note - when did Jonathan become "Penner" and not "Jonathan"??? There's not another Jonathan on this season, so what's the deal?

3. Is anyone else as incredulous as I am that CBS seemed to pick the most pathetic Survivor fans for this season? They're all supposed to be super-fans, but they fell victim to the "our tribe can't pull together to make a shelter in the first 48 hours at our campsite" fate, and none of them seem to be all that knowledgable about much in terms of survival skills and/or strategy (see above rant about Chet). I'm just not really clear what each of them brings to the table that qualifies them as super-fans, because to be honest, I've seen plenty of "regular" players who knew Survivor skills better than this crew. I'm disappointed. I wanted there to be some real competition.

4. James is nice to look at.

5. I love Ozzy. Even though he was stupid enough to vote Joel out and keep Chet for an extra 3 days, I love him. He's incredible to watch in the challenges, and he really plays the game. He's like a male version of Stephanie (ok, not really, but I love him like I loved her). I was having trouble breathing when I thought there was a chance he'd be voted out.

6. Was I right in seeing that in next week's episode, the Airai tribe is scrounging for food? How is that possible after the challenge they just won where people came and showed them how to catch fish and coconut crabs?

In other news, I'm back from my tour of Maine where I stayed with friends, parents, and more friends, played with dogs, played with kids, purchased a whole lotta yarn at Marden's, sang a lot in my car, and got some much-needed (and deserved) relaxation.

Many thanks to my hosts along the way. I can't wait until I no longer have homework as an excuse to keep me here on weekends - I promise more fun weekend playdates post-graduation.

Many thanks, also, to my friend for hosting Survivor night tonight. There is little better than watching Survivor with someone else - especially when we get to catch up and tell each other rediculous stories about severed manniquin heads and air mattresses and such. Good times.

Happy Friday to all and to all a good weekend!

Still Kicking

Ok, I know I've been really bad at updating my blog. Really really bad.

Sorry.

I have started multiple blog entries, but haven't managed to finish any of them, so I know they don't really count.

I'm on break right now at home in Maine with my parents and what may be the cutest dogs ever. With any luck, I might have some updates for you all this week, but until then, here are some photos from this morning's doggie photo shoot:

My Valentine's Day Date

Ok now, don't get all excited - it's not what you think.

Story #1:
So a few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that her boyfriend had broken up with her. Now they hadn't been dating long, but I had seen them together and it really seemed as though they had hit it off. She felt that way too, and for a while so did he, and then all of the sudden, he got weird and broke it off with no warning and no reason. Needless to say, this was heartbreaking for her.

Story #2:
This past summer I reconnected with a friend from middle school. This friend and I used to carpool to dance class multiple times a week, so we were pretty close. She updated me on some of our dancer friends I had lost touch with, and a month later, I had a voicemail from another dancer friend from my past who had gotten my information from the first dancer friend. Dancer friend #2 ("DF#2") left a lovely and sweet voicemail and I never called him back. I meant to - I really did. But time went by, and then it felt weird to call because it had been so long, and so I didn't.

Fast forward to this past week when DF#1 let me know that DF#2 is in a dance company that would soon be coming to Boston. That gave me good reason to call him and so I did. We chatted for a while, and made plans to meet up for coffee while he was here. I explained that as much as I'd love to see his performance, $40 for a student ticket was too much for me. He said he'd try to get me a comp ticket.

Story #1+#2:
Then I got it in my head that it would be fun to invite my newly-single friend ("NSF") to this performance. I asked DF#2 if he might be able to get 2 tickets, and he said he'd look into it. He was unable to secure 2 tickets for Thursday, and instead got me a single ticket for Friday which solved the problem of me seeing him, but not the challenge of figuring out what to do with my NSF on Valentine's Day.

The answer? Finale Desserts. Any place where the desserts cost more than the appetizers is good in my book. The challenge is that because I called today to make reservations, the only reservations we could get were at 5pm. Not really a problem, though, since I am usually starving by 5pm on Thursdays after I babysit.

So we have this dinner/dessert plan and life is good, and then DF#2 calls me to tell me he can get us discounted tickets to his show for Thursday and asks if I still want them. Ummm... yes.

So my non-date Valentine's Day night will involve two single, straight girls going to a romantic dinner/dessert, then to a dance performance, and then taking DF#2 out for a drink. That's a much better way to spend the evening than alone doing homework.

*** Update: The night was great. Dinner was good, dessert was amazing, and the show was breathtaking. ***

Life is good.

Happiness is...

... snuggling with a baby.





Welcome to the family, Baby M.

Two Happy Things

I voted this morning.



It rained today. This would not be good news if it weren't for my new rainboots. I heart them.

How to Forget

Know what can make you feel better after watching your team suffer a heartbreaking, crushing, painful defeat?

Nothing.

But do you want to know what can make you forget that heartbreaking, crushing, painful defeat temporarily?

Wii.

Oh, blessed and wonderful Wii, I thank you for being an outlet for all of my post-game emotions and energy this evening.