Saturday, April 28, 2007

Crazy Day

Yesterday around 10am, my boyfriend sends me an instant message that says his gramps is dying. His gramps is actually his great grandpa, who is 96 years old. He's got what they call a "death rattle" in his lungs, which usually means that's it.

My boyfriend and his dad were trying to book flights up to Seattle in order to see him before he died. Turns out same day flights are $240, so I sent my mom an email. My parents have a lot of frequent flyer miles, and they pretty much only use them to fly people to funerals or to visit dying family members. So thanks to my mom, he got a 4pm flight out of John Wayne. He's going to meet me at work, and we're going to leave a car there until he gets back. So at 12:54 he calls me - he just remembered he took the train, and needs to know when the next train out of Union Station is. 2:50pm (he just missed the 12:45). Uh, that's not going to work.

So I leave immediately to go pick him up, but as I'm getting off the freeway he calls back. He's going to take the metro line to the Norwalk station and I should meet him there. I swear we had just enough time to get home, pack up some clothes, and drive to the airport.

This is going to sound ridiculous, but this will be the longest we've been away from each other since we started dating.

After I'd ran a bunch of errands, picked up something to eat, and switched my car for his at the train station, I was pooped and decided to take a bath. But my bath was interrupted by his older half sister. Her mom died a few years back, and her relationship with their dad and the rest of the family became strained at the time.

So Rhonda calls the house, and my Gma tells me through the bathroom door: she's called his cell twice and he didn't answer and wants to know where he is. (Apparently she can't just leave a message or trust that he'll see she called and will call back). So I tell her, he has both his phones, he's in Seattle visiting their Gramps (cause he's her's too) because he's dying. She responds with "Oh my god!" and I begin to tell her I just talked to him on his personal cell, and I can give her the number... The line is totally dead, no one is there. I don't know if her cell dropped the call or if she hung up. So I call Bobby to tell him about the conversation and encourage him to call her. As far as I'm concerned it's her own fault that she didn't see their gramps when he was out for a month last summer, but she probably feels bad now. Bobby calls back later - if Rhonda calls back, tell her he tried to call her twice but it said her phone was out of service. I'm guessing she didn't pay her bill again and they cut her service in the middle of our phone call.

It's really weird sleeping alone now - I'm so accustom to him being there. But not hearing the alarm go off every 10 minutes starting at 4:30am is nice. I talked to Bobby a couple times today, and his gramps is actually doing better, and they were thinking of releasing him. I'm glad he made the trip - this way if something happens next week or so, he'll be glad he spent some time with his gramps beforehand. I'm looking forward to him coming home tomorrow, even though it means I have to give him back his car...

To Blog or Not To Blog?

I've been wondering if creating this blog is a good idea. Is anyone really going to care to read all these stories about my life. My close friends might enjoy it, but that's all I really expect.

Last night I was reading Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun and it occured to me - I could be reading my sister-in-law's blog. The novel is not your standard story with a plot and climax and resolution; it is a journal of someone who has done something many of us wish we could do. Much of the story is about Mayes and her husband working on the property, entertaining guests, enjoying Christmas with her daughter... life.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

You Are What You Grow

I came across this article, You Are What You Grow, in the New York Times and found it very interesting. I've realized for awhile now that healthy foods seem to be much more expensive than junk food, but I don't remember stopping to wonder why. This is a great analysis tracing the roots of this country's obesity epidemic to a well meaning government that has failed to re-evaluate the long term effects of it's policies.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

3-Day Breast Cancer Walk

A friend of mine is walking in a Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk in San Diego to raise money for breast cancer research. If you would like to contribute, or know anyone that would, you can make donations here - anything from $1 on up. Or if you feel like walking 60 miles in 3 days yourself, you could sign up here. If you felt the need to forward this on, I wouldn't mind a bit. I'm seriously considering participating next year, so I may be hitting you up again.

Monday, April 23, 2007

For the Love of the Game

Yesterday, Bobby and I went to hook our PS2 up to the projector. Three trips to Target, one to Radio Shack, one to Game Stop, and 4 hours later, I was able to play. We tore the whole back room of the house apart, and then had to put it back together. First we had to get an extender for the audio because it didn't reach far enough; then when we got home, realized we'd bought the wrong cable, went back out, then we could get sound but no video. Why, because the receiver (basically the thing that controls which audio and video to put out) wouldn't choose to display composite (the type of cable used) over component (another type) input (I don't understant that either). Then we were out of composite inputs on the reciever, so we had to use the switch, and hook that up to the receiver instead, and find a composite cable for a PS2. Now I have to go back to Target and Radio Shack to return cables and adaptors we bought but wound up not even needing. I even found a cable in our miscellaneous wires and cables box that is the same as one we bought and never needed. But now I can play my game on this massive screen. :)

But while we were at Target I convinced Bobby to buy me Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. I have the first one, and no, I haven't finished it yet, but I love it - so I need the next one. I think I love it so much because of it's similarity to Super Mario, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which was probably my favorite), Zelda, Mega Man, and all the other Nintendo games I played as a kid. No super complex key strokes, or touchy controls; when I move the controls my character doesn't run off faster than I can control it. You just cruise around, defeating bad guys, picking up stuff along the way. A game for old people like me. But I am more fond of the original trilogy movies than the new ones, so I had to have it. I think I'll have to bring it with me to Colorado so Nathan and I can play, since he shares my love of the first game.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Walking

Sunday evening Bobby and I went for a three mile walk around the neighborhood; decided we should take walks a few times a week. We can't everyday, because he has class late on Mondays, and Emma Thursdays, etc., but he should be out of class early enough today so I'd like to go again. When we get our Disneyland passes, we are going to plan a route we like through the park and take walks there - better scenery. And we are going to look for more places to eat within walking distance and try not to drive. We both sit too much. I'd also like to try to spend as much time as possible outside again this summer. Sometimes I feel like I don't see the sun enough...

Friday, April 6, 2007

The PTO Deficit

I have to try to be good now and save my vacation. I'm looking at using some this year in either late August or early September so I can take a long weekend and visit Jessica & Nathan. I've been watching flight prices, and they seem to stay pretty static at $345 for round trip... so it looks like we'll be driving.

I'm also planning a European vacation for next September. Going to Oktoberfest again, Cortona, and then Madrid or Portugal. I'd like to make a 2 week trip, and I'd like to have 3 weeks of vacation saved by the time I go. As it is right now, if I use 2 days to go to Colorado, take 2 weeks in Europe, and want to have a week left over at that time, I need restrict myself to 5 other vacation days between now and September 2008. Ugh.