"Marching" in

Whoops. It's already 7 days into the new month and this is my first post of March.

Each day it is more and more depressing to read the latest news on the economy. Anyone care to guess the title of this month's "Intercom" (the Society for Technical Communications' periodical for us tech writer types)?

Drum roll please......

ADAPT OR DIE



Whoa.

So what is so wrong, with alcohol?

Miscellaneous Musings from a Mom

Just some random thoughts for a February evening:

Why did my 3 1/2-year-old son suddenly decide to start calling us "Mom" and "Dad" instead of "Mama" and "Daddy"? It is cute the way he pronounces both titles so emphatically and carefully, but it is sad! Way too grown-up, even our 11-year-old daughter calls me "Mommy" still.

And why do schools need to drum into Middle-Schoolers' heads that alcohol is bad, bad, bad! I had to jointly fill in a health worksheet with her tonight to refute all the myths about alcohol and kids. True, it is not good for growing kids to drink, but telling them it is all evil will just entice them more. Why can't we be like Europeans, and just set good examples for our kids, that good wine and beer can enhance a good meal with good company?

Lastly, why don't Moms get tips for cooking, serving, and cleaning up after dinner? I put this question to my family tonight, after once again cooking a nice supper and having to clean up after they wolfed it down in minutes and fled the scene. I pointedly remarked that at least when I waitressed at Ponderosa I got tips and didn't even have to wash dishes. My daughter at least got my drift a bit, she asked if doing dishes counted (not that she does them, but still). My husband just gave me a weird look and disappeared back down into his basement office. I should have loudly replied that "Yes, I do accept non-monetary tips!" Hah!!

Ratcheting it up

Building on my previous post, I've pondered more about cramming everything you love into simultaneous sessions. I find myself not only watching the DVD set of the The Tudors - Season 2 but needing to follow along with its companion book, which of course I read ahead of time but still felt compelled to consult as I viewed. The director occasionally deviated from the script and it was great fun to compare the two versions. For example, at the end of the season finale when Anne Boleyn is to be executed, Brandon's young son, who claimed he "wanted to see someone die" bravely stares at the impending victim with tears streaming down his face, versus the script, where his father forcibly holds his face towards the block when he tried to avert his eyes. They both work equally well in their respective media. Bravo!

And as for books in general, I find my Amazon.com wish list growing lonnnngggg. It's up to 7 pages now. For every couple books I buy, several more are newly published. I'm a preordering compulsive thanks to Amazon's notification feature. A blessing or a curse? Not to mention all the great ads in the Times and the New Yorker and reviews in my Bookmarks subscription (highly recommend that magazine to all readaholics). So what did I go and do now? Read "Book Lust" and highlighted all the books I MUST read before I die. I better live a good many more years.

My own trifecta

Remember the Seinfeld episode, where George attempts a "Trifecta" (in his case simultaneous food, sex & TV)? I think I caught myself striving for my own version last night&mdash wine, books and "The Tudors" Season 2 on DVD. How insane is that! Sometimes more of what you love is is better ;)

My childcare provider - another victim of the economy

My son's daycare, the place I spent so much time and care researching during my pregnancy, is closing this spring. He has been there 3 years and this will be tough on all of us. The following article is from the Times Union, I added a comment to the Business Blog expressing my frustration & sadness. There are not many places that provide the kind of services he needs for his physical & developmental needs.

This picture shows him at the CloverPatch annual Halloween festival, holding hands with his favorite teacher, Joelle.

Center for Disability Services cuts jobs, services
January 20, 2009 at 10:00 am by Chris Churchill, Business writer

The Center for Disability Services, the Albany non-profit that primarily provides services for the disabled, is cutting its daycare and pre-school programs and eliminating about 50 jobs.

In a letter mailed to center employees, Alan Krafchin, the organization’s president and chief executive, said the cutbacks are a “response to the continuing economic uncertainty and mounting fiscal challenges facing the center.”

Krafchin adds that the daycare and pre-school programs have traditionally run a deficit, but that “the deficits we have supported in the past are now too great to overcome.”

“With shrinking government support and the slowing economy, we anticipate fewer funds being available to fund our deficits and keep these programs afloat,” he said.

On June 19, the center will close the Hudson Early Childhood Services site and Cobleskill Early Childhood Services site. Daycare facilities in Albany and Glenville will also close that day, the center said.

Glenville and Albany Early Childhood Services will continue operating only the specialized self-contained classrooms. The Fulton Montgomery Clover Patch services will also continue operating, the center said.

The Center for Disability Services, headquartered on South Manning Boulevard in Albany, has an annual budget of $101 million and, with 2,400 employees, calls itself the seventh largest private employer in the Capital Region.

It provides services to 15,000 people at 85 locations in nine upstate counties.

[link to article on Albany Times Union: http://blogs.timesunion.com/business/?s=center+for+disability&x=0&y=0]

Getting away from it all--in Vegas, Baby!

To my amazement, a romantic trip to Vegas did our moods and outlook on life a world of good.

Memories as we move on

Life has returned to normal again, at least a "new" normal now that I only have one parent-in-law. The calling hours & funeral were such a mix of sadness and joy and humor. The outpouring of visitors and their reminiscences of Arnold for 3 hours were so touching. I hadn't seen my brother Tom since his car accident in November, and there he was at the funeral home, hobbling in on his crutches after a several-hour drive. He & my sister said they just had to be there for us. Wow. That's when I finally started getting teary. And old grudges were put aside for the occasion as well, it wasn't the time or place for any silent treatments. My 3-yr-old son seemed to intuitively realize his role was to provide the distracting entertainment, if I had a dime for every time someone remarked to me how cute and charming and funny he was!
Here are some pictures of Arnold with his grandchildren, baby Alison ("Ali") on the bottom and baby Eric ("Ricky") on the top: