Jill's Place

Go

2007-03-29T11:12:00.000-04:00

Blog moved to here.

Balcony_.jpg

2006-07-31T09:03:00.000-04:00

Balcony_.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Change of pace

2006-06-26T22:01:00.000-04:00

I'm considering switching over to WordPress. It has some features I like. Or something. Would you follow me if I did that?

Go, shop

2006-06-24T13:20:00.000-04:00

Sephora, free shipping for orders over $25 through tomorrow. Details here.

Little man on the move

2006-06-23T19:42:00.000-04:00

Another cool thing

2006-06-23T15:04:00.000-04:00

GotVoice - download and save important voicemails as MP3s. Of course, via Lifehacker.

Also interesting

2006-06-23T13:36:00.000-04:00

Qunu, via Lifehacker.

Qunu is a next-generation expertise matching service. We use instant messaging to connect -- in real time -- people who have software or tech-related questions with experts who are passionate and willing to help.

Swaptree

2006-06-23T11:23:00.000-04:00

This could be incredible when it comes out of private beta. Don't like the name though.

Uh-oh, here comes trouble

2006-06-21T20:56:00.000-04:00

My boy has started to crawl. Just a few steps tonight, but watch out, world!!!

Seriously. This entire world needs childproofing in a big way.

Daddy Day

2006-06-18T15:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day! I'm lucky - I have an incredible dad, and I'm married to the most amazing father. We've been down at the lake this weekend, and had much fun. This morning, we got to see the joy on Lauren's face when her daddy loved the gift that she dreamed up and created for him. A box for the tv remotes - how handy is that? She was so intense about her project, and did a great job making it, keeping it secret, and decorating it. He, of course, loved it and will keep it forever.

My dad and I were sitting out on the back deck, watching Mark drive Sam around in the golf cart, and they were having fun. Dad said "Do you know how lucky you are? You can just see how much he loves these kids. Mark is such a great father."

Takes one to know one.

Here's a great quote, from Healthy Children:

"Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life."

- Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

Project

2006-06-16T14:26:00.000-04:00

This is my latest successful home project. Doesn't it look pretty? And useful, too, as the spices are near at hand and highly visible. I think I'll use them even more now that I don't have to hunt through an overstuffed cabinet, knocking jars over as I go. Plus, I'm a bargain hunter - I've seen similar kits of 12 spice jars and a measly little strip of metal that cost $40. I have 36, and I spent about $50. I didn't even punch holes in the wall either. I used these. I can easily take these down at a later date, without any damage to the wall. I love that. But it looks nice too, very colorful. Mark doesn't much like it though, because each tin is labeled on the back. I don't have nice enough handwriting to mark on the fronts, to be quite honest with you. Perhaps I'll alphabetize everything, to make his life a bit easier.

Beyond Strange

2006-06-08T16:38:00.000-04:00

I hab a code in by dose. And a cough, and I feel like hell. Such is life. And then, I was reading Lifehacker, and I ran across this link. It actually worked. Woo hoo!

Life as Art

2006-06-08T08:19:00.000-04:00

Passed on by my office roomie. Cool. Life As Art: Watch Live For six days (June 4-June 10), Lexington, KY based installation artist Lauren Argo will be living in an enclosed window space at 21c Museum Hotel’s restaurant, Proof on Main, at 702 W. Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky. With exception of bathroom and show breaks, Argo will only use a privacy curtain for changing. Virtually every aspect of her life on public display behind a glass wall in an 8 x 4 ½ x 12 space.

The toothless wonder!

2006-06-07T21:42:00.000-04:00

The first tooth came out today! My little baby . . .

good news and bad news

2006-05-30T14:07:00.000-04:00

The good news - I took the kids down to the lake for the long weekend, and we had an absolute blast. Mark was out of town for much of the weekend, so Mom and Dad were ready to help with the kids. We had a great time, swimming lots and taking a boat ride. It was Sam's first boat ride, and he loved it! He also loved the pool, as you can see in the photo I posted the other day from my cameraphone. Lauren always has a great time at the lake. Other good news - my girl has two loose teeth! She is beyond excited - most of her friends have already lost teeth, because she's younger than most of them. She said "I thought this day would never come!!!!" She's a trip. In bad news, my favorite little kitty Jazz died while we were gone. It was expected, but still sad. She had a mouth infection that proved to be resistant to antibiotics, and stopped eating. She didn't seem to be in any pain, so I didn't have to have her put to sleep and she was able to stay at home. I wish I'd been there, though. I hate that she was alone.

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2006-05-27T15:47:00.000-04:00

Image_14.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

A thing of beauty

2006-05-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

Need to stock your kitchen?

2006-05-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine from work is having a Pampered Chef fundraiser to raise money to fight cancer. As you can imagine, that's a topic that is near and dear to me. Let me know if you want to purchase anything - I have the order form and details on the available products. I'm pretty sure I can cover the $4.00 shipping. Good afternoon! I am conducting a Pampered Chef Help Whip Cancer fundraiser in memory of my mother-in-law. I would love it if you could help by collecting orders (or placing an order) for The Pampered Chef Help Whip Cancer products. These items are only available through May 31, 2006. People love the products and appreciate supporting the cause. *If you participate by collecting a group order, you may split the $4 shipping/handling between the total number of people ordering. Please have checks made payable to you and you can submit one check for the total order. I will deliver all products to you to deliver to the individuals on your order. *If you are placing an individual order, just add $1 for shipping/handling and I will combine it with 3 other individual orders. All orders and payment are due to me by May 30! In addition to earning $1 from the sale of EACH product, the American Cancer Society will earn up to 15% of my total sales for this fund-raiser. *This offer applies to this Help Whip Cancer fundraiser only!

information

2006-05-19T17:31:00.000-04:00

This is so cool - I agree with the guy from blackrimglasses. Except I'd say it's so awesome it makes my teeth hurt.

;-)

Funny

2006-05-16T08:17:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or is this story hilarious on many levels? I hope he got the job! Damned behavioral interviews . . .

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2006-05-13T14:58:00.000-04:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Love this

2006-05-10T09:11:00.000-04:00

I'm still around, just been busy. You should go read this post, it's lovely. Also, my ex started chemo yesterday, and has a good attitude. But the doctors do say it's either stage 4 or stage 3B non small cell carcinoma, and give him 8 - 12 months. So that's not good at all. He's hanging in. Sunday is Mother's Day, and Mark has been trying to figure out what I want. Considering what the day means, I already have everything in the world. I mean really - I have the two coolest kids on the planet. In 4 months, Lauren will be 6 years old. Sam will be 7 months in a few days. Time is going faster than ever, in other words.

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2006-04-29T16:14:00.000-04:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Check it out

2006-04-29T08:51:00.000-04:00

Totally cool.

"We collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles - anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's life. Anything goes..."

Car conversations

2006-04-25T22:18:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, the most intense conversations with my girl take place in the car. This morning, before we left for school, she was digging around in my jewelry box. She found a watch left to me by my Aunt Mill, and asked about it. I explained that Aunt Mill wanted me to have it after she died, and we needed to be very careful with it, but that she was welcome to look at it. She felt it and looked at it and put it back.

Then later, in the car, she seemed a bit upset. She asked me if someone killed the person who left me the watch. I don't know where that came from, but I explained that Aunt Mill had lived a long, mostly happy life, and had died because she was so old.

A few minutes later, she got even more upset. This was odd, because she doesn't really remember Aunt Mill, which is sad to me. I talked to her a bit, and she said that it reminded her that Jetter had died (aka Jet, our much-loved cat who died in December). Then she asked me if I was going to die, or Daddy.

I'm thinking, "Crap. I really need more coffee for this kind of conversation early in the morning."

But it gets better. She asked me if Jetter and Aunt Mill were with God, because that's what happens to you when you die. And I quote: "For reals." Because then, when I die, I could be with them again. Which is a tempting thought, but I didn't really want to sell that to her. And I really don't know where that one came from either, because she didn't get that from us.

Honestly, now I'm thinking double espresso more than coffee. Or perhaps tequila shooters.

See, in our house, there's not a lot of talk about God or heaven or religion, being the heathens that we are. Mark and I haven't much talked about how to deal with these issues with Lauren and Sam later, but I wanted to be honest with her about my own feelings without crushing her little soul for the day or sending her directly into therapy. I punted with some talk about that's what some people believe, and some people believe in reincarnation, and some people believe this life is all we get and we should make the most of it. I was utterly unprepared for this depth of conversation, shall we say.

Plus, you know, she's 5. Tough topics have to be addressed directly and honestly, but at her level. You try it. Go on, just think about what you'd say to explain death, heaven, and religion to a 5 year old.

I kind of think that the concept of heaven and all that is a nice comfort when you lose someone you love, if you believe it's true. I'm not sure what I believe, but I'm thinking I need to figure that out right quick, considering the questions that are coming up now. I lean toward the third option of this is all we get, so have fun and do good, but really, who wants to find out for themselves? Not me, not anytime soon.

Damn, this parenting stuff is hard.

Speaking of people you love and loss (nice segue, don't you think?). I'm having a bit of a time dealing with something else, and really, what the hell are blogs for except to purge your thoughts in semi-public? Take a deep breath and sit down if you know some of my particular history. Especially if you know Scotty.

My ex has been diagnosed with cancer. Prognosis is up in the air at the moment - he has another doctor's appointment with a cardiothoracic surgeon tomorrow. He was having shortness of breath and pain in his ribs, and they found that his right lung was compressed. They drained 3 liters of fluid from the pleural area, which is between your lungs and rib cage, and found malignant cells. But they haven't been able to locate any tumors, just some small spots in the pleural wall. The surgeon is supposed to tell him whether any surgery could be helpful, and then probably chemo will start pretty soon.

My ex is a very dear friend, even though we haven't seen much of him in the last few years. He turns 40 tomorrow. Or, as he would say, 39 +1. His spirits are pretty good, all things considered. He's varying between fighting spirit and fatalism. I prefer the former. Cross your fingers, send some mojo, pray if that's your thing, would you please? Thanks.

Some good news

2006-04-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

This article makes me feel much better about the condition of my house. Hey, my kids are less likely to have asthma and allergies! It's not working so far, though. Sam was at the doctor yesterday afternoon and is home today. Seasonal allergies and pinkeye. Zyrtec and Vigamox drops. Joy, joy. Mark is home with him today, and hopefully he'll be able to go back to day care tomorrow. His eyes were actually clear this morning, so that's good.

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2006-04-21T19:11:00.000-04:00

Image_14.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Life has its ups and downs

2006-04-18T21:50:00.000-04:00

So the bad first. Rough day at work. I've been working on a big project for the last several months, we're at total crunch time, and the wheels have just about come off entirely. "Just about"?, she says. No. Totally, fricking, entirely. Wheels off. Hubcaps strewn about. Messy. There was nothing I could do to prevent it, and I'm not being blamed in any way. But I can barely tolerate being involved with and responsible for a failing project. That really bugs me. Usually, if I work hard enough, I can pull things off. But no matter how hard I work, I just can't fix this. I can only make the best of a bad situation. Don't like that.

For the good. Sam had his 6 month well child check yesterday, and got his immunizations. He did great with the shots, just cried a little with the prevnar. I don't blame him - that one stings! He was 18 pounds 6 ounces, and 26 1/4 inches long. He's a brute, that one. No wonder my arms are so tired! And he's just so very sweet and a cuddly little guy. Mark had something to do in Lexington last night, so it was just me with the kids, and poor Sam was so fussy. In addition to the shots and that soreness, his first tooth broke through his gum yesterday. Poor little fella. But he's tough - he was his normal happy self today.

Mark is out with his friends tonight, and I'm just chilling out at home, trying to forget about work stress and relax. The kids are in bed, and I'm having a nice glass of gewurz, watching food network.

And blogging. But now I'm done with that too, and I'm going back to vegging. And get this - tomorrow is our anniversary. It's really hard to believe we've been married for 9 years now. Time flies and all that. I am a very lucky woman, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Except maybe this work project. That I might change, just a little. Home life? It's golden.

That'll learn me!

2006-04-17T09:04:00.000-04:00

I used to make fun of girls who would hardly move about for fear of breaking a nail. Of course, I didn't have pretty nails until just a few years ago - reformed biter here. But now I understand some of that. Yesterday, we were at my folks' house for Easter egg hunting. My sister-in-law and I were getting some drinks for the kids, and the apple juice started to fall from the shelf of the fridge. Clumsy me. In grabbing it before it hit the ground, I managed to break one of my nails way down deep. It bled like a mother, and hurts like you wouldn't believe. Typing is an adventure. I reserve the right to whine about this for the next several days, because it really does hurt. I still won't turn into one of those chicks, though.

First_sw.jpg

2006-04-15T13:16:00.000-04:00

First_sw.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Happy Saturday

2006-04-15T07:09:00.000-04:00

It's just after 7:00 am, and I'm in the office. I have my e-mail open, and one of my partners on this project was working on this stuff and e-mailing me at 5:21 this morning. Does that tell you anything, anything at all, about my work at the moment? I just need to get through the next couple of weeks, and it should settle down. Right?

Celebrations

2006-04-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

Reason to celebrate: Sam is 6 months old today! I can hardly believe that. It seems like he was just born. Of course, to me, it seems like Lauren was just born too, so there you go. I'm clearly no judge of this sort of thing. Poor Sam is sick, though. He got kicked out of day care yesterday - already a troublemaker, this one! No, really, they sent him home because of a fever. Mark has been home with sick, cranky boy, and is probably about ready to go insane. My folks are there now, taking care of Sam while Mark gets some chores and errands done. Me, I think Sam's FINALLY cutting that tooth that's been visible for a few months. Lauren always spiked a fever and got cold symptoms when she cut a tooth, so it seems reasonable that he would too. I am running on far too few hours of sleep at the moment. Poor little Sam was just so unhappy and uncomfortable last night. He was just burning hot at about 2:30 or so. He's better today, though, so that's good. Speaking of Lauren, she and I had great fun the other night decorating a pink pair of canvas tennies with glow-in-the-dark fabric paint and sequins, with some pretty ribbon as shoelaces. She worked very hard on them, and was quite proud of how they turned out. And they were too cute! Alas, her feet have grown much more than I expected, and the shoes were too tight. I've been to every place in this crappy little town that carries kid shoes, and can't find any in her new size. I guess we'll have to go to Lex to pick some up. Wish us luck with that! My work is just nuts, long story. It's just a crazy time right now, so little time to blog. Little time to do much of anything except work, chores, play with the kids, and sleep. In fact, must dash now.

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2006-04-11T17:43:00.000-04:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

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2006-04-11T17:34:00.000-04:00

Image_13.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

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2006-04-09T14:14:00.000-04:00

Image_13.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

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2006-04-09T13:14:00.000-04:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Laughing Sam

2006-04-08T18:09:00.000-04:00

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2006-04-07T19:35:00.000-04:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Well said

2006-04-06T15:22:00.000-04:00

"When I have a problem that concerns one of my kids (meaning: When I want them to do something that they refuse to do), I see that I have a choice. I could visualize my child standing on the other side of a line, next to "The Problem", with me yelling across the line, "Hey, you better solve "The Problem". Instead, I get myself to stand next to my child, with "The Problem" alone on the other side of the line, with me putting an arm around my child, saying "Hey, you and me, we're gonna defeat "The Problem" together." I find that this attitude seems to make my kids feel better about themselves. It minimizes/eliminates shame."

Via ParentHacks, of course. I really need to remember this sometimes with Lauren. Because, you know, she's just 5. We tend to forget that sometimes, because she's such a smart little thing. And since Sam was born, she seems like such a big kid now. But she's not. She's just 5.

If I flew a lot . . .

2006-04-06T13:17:00.000-04:00

This is such an awesome idea I can't stand it. It almost makes me want to fly somewhere with the kiddos. (The page took a while to load for me, though, so fair warning)

Oh. My. God.

2006-04-04T10:48:00.000-04:00

As if I have this kind of time. Gracious goodness me. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, anyone? Via ParentHacks.

Also, this? Totally cool. You can import your Amazon wishlist, but it seems to have only pulled over part of my amazon list. Hmmm. Must play with this more later. Via TechCrunch.

Image_11.jpg

2006-04-01T15:44:00.000-05:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

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2006-04-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

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2006-03-31T19:04:00.000-05:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Wow

2006-03-30T10:52:00.000-05:00

I was just looking at the macro pool on Flickr. I'm on a conference call at the moment, which doesn't require much of my attention - I'm just an innocent bystander on this one.

Anyhoo, I ran across this absolutely stunning photo. Don't you think? The serendipity and zen of Flickr.

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2006-03-29T19:10:00.000-05:00

Image_98.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Well, I never

2006-03-29T15:43:00.000-05:00

I am continually amazed by the cool ideas (other) people have. Like this - a mashup of Google maps and census data. You can see all kinds of information in bands of 1, 3, and 5 miles from a specific address. Very interesting. Via Lifehacker.

Another list

2006-03-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

Much to explore here. I have seen most of these, but a few were new to me. Maybe they'll be new to you too.

Ugh

2006-03-27T15:39:00.000-05:00

Not feeling well at all; I had to leave work and come home. Either bad shrimp at lunch or a touch of the stomach bug that's going around.

'Nuff said.

I hope the kids don't catch it, or Mark. And I hope it goes away soon.

Very cool

2006-03-24T10:51:00.000-05:00

Check out mobber, making "the web a two-way real-time medium". Very cool, via Ajaxian.

Swim lesson

2006-03-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

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Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Oh, yeah

2006-03-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

I literally spend a large part of my time scheming to stay one step ahead of my oldest child.

Via ParentHacks.

Mmmm, tasty

2006-03-18T22:17:00.000-05:00

The other day, my office roomie and I started talking about this and that. You never know where our convos will end up, but on Friday it ended up about food and restaurants. He told me about a really good cuban restaurant in Louisville, and then we went on to discussing drinks. Mojitos, specifically. So I decided to make one tonight, and dang, it's tasty. All I had to pick up was rum, mint, and club soda. I already had some limes left over from making a fruit dip for Lauren's class on Friday. They were having a party, so I took over a fruit tray and dip. Just like this, except I added lime zest, some lime curd, and food coloring. You know, green, for St. Patrick's Day. It turned out delish. I doubled the recipe so we'd have some at home, and it's gone now. Lauren's teacher said the kids loved it, and ate all of it in a flash. But since yesterday, I've been wanting a mojito. To celebrate being awake this late for a change, I decided to fix one. Yum. So go fix yourself a mojito.

I was thinking

2006-03-18T20:52:00.000-05:00

At the 2nd birthday party this afternoon, my cousin asked me if Lauren was at all jealous of Sam. Since she was an only child for 5 years, it wouldn't be unexpected, and it's something we keep an eye on, just in case. But the way she looks in this picture? Do you see the absolute joy on her face? She pretty much feels the same way now. She adores him, as do we. I am the luckiest mommy in the whole wide world.

Oh my

2006-03-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

I love this All Things Web 2.0 list. Found it at blackrimglasses.

There are actually items on this list that I hadn't heard of til now. My office roomie would be so disappointed in me.

Time, time, time

2006-03-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

Where does it go? It occurred to me this morning that Sam is 5 months old. In a few more weeks, he'll start eating cereal, then baby food after that. He loves to stand up (with support or holding my hands), and in fact gets kind of pissed when I have him sit down. But he can sit up by himself for a few seconds too. He has the strength, but doesn't quite have the balance down yet. He has the best laugh, and the cutest smile in the world.

If only he'd sleep through the night. I know that day will come, but it's not here yet, and I'm tired. I'm usually in bed and asleep as soon as he goes down for the night. Last night, I think I was asleep before Lauren! Speaking of . . .

Lauren has been sick, kind of. There are some bad stomach bugs going around, and she's had a stomachache and headache off and on. One night she had a 102.5 fever, but motrin brought that down. She's been lethargic, at times, but she seems fine today. Good thing, because later this afternoon, we have two birthday parties to attend. I still have to go buy presents for those kids, which means I'd better get off my butt and go do that.

This week at work has been kind of hectic, in fits and starts. For weeks, I've been constantly busy, and now I'll have a few hours where I'm swamped, and then an hour or two without much going on. Then a crush occurs again, and here we go. This also explains why almost an entire week passed without a post from me. Sorry!

Where does the time go?

So how's your weekend going?

2006-03-12T07:06:00.000-05:00

Here, things are quiet for the moment. The kids are asleep right now, and of course I woke up a short while ago. Sam was waking up, but I nursed him a bit and he went back to sleep. It feels like I have the house to myself, since they're still asleep. Mark's been out of town this weekend, so I've been a single parent. He feels guilty about going out and having fun, but I don't know why. He wants me to have the chance to do the same, I know, so that's probably it. His life has been pretty stressful lately for a variety of reasons. So I'm just hoping he has had fun and had a chance to relax. But let's face it, I have really one friend that I could go visit. Love her dearly, and love to spend time with her (Hi, CA!), but it's difficult right now. Since I'm nursing, I really can't go away from Sam for the next, oh, 7 months or so at least. But this is my choice, you know? I can't even imagine voluntarily going away from the kids. At work, there was a conference that most of my team went to in Louisville, staying up there. I couldn't go, both because of Sam and because Mark was going out of town. Fortunately, my boss is extremely understanding - it wasn't mandatory or anything, but let's say we were encouraged to attend. He completely understood that I couldn't go away from Sam. Nursing definitely pays off, because if Sam follows Lauren's trends, he won't be sick as often or as severely. I mean, look at his pinkeye. He had it for 2 days, I had it for nearly 2 weeks. The doc said that was because of nursing. So go me! Of course, I could use a break every now and then, so I go out and shop for a few hours or something, or even just drive around. Mark is such a terrific dad, he takes wonderful care of the kids. Sam has definitely been missing him, looking all over for him. And Lauren has been asking if he'll be home soon since yesterday morning. They'll be so happy to see him, as will I. When he gets home this afternoon, I'll definitely take off for a couple of hours, just to have some time to myself, kwim? I don't know how single parents do it.

Hey Sam!

2006-03-11T06:02:00.000-05:00

Here's a clue - 5:30 am is not wake-up-and-play time!

Yipppeeeeeee!!!!

2006-03-07T07:46:00.000-05:00

My eye is clear, and it doesn't itch. I'll be able to go back to work tomorrow without fear of infecting anyone else. I am beyond glad! Now, as long as we get through the next week or so and no one else starts it, I think we're home free.

Handy mashup

2006-03-06T15:04:00.000-05:00

This is pretty handy - integrating Google maps with package tracking.

Think good thoughts

2006-03-06T07:55:00.000-05:00

Please, think good thoughts for my office roomie. On here he's UM, but aka Jay or Mr. R. He had to go in to the hospital yesterday, and is doing better, from what I hear. But think good thoughts, would you? He's an awesome guy, wonderful teacher, and terrific friend. Oh, and my right eye is totally clear, my left is just a little tiny bit pink but still itchy. Ergo, I'm probably still contagious. I am so over this now.

Just a little space

2006-03-04T21:05:00.000-05:00

I'm really just posting this to move the map down on the page, because it's very red. And you know I hate to see red states!!!

LOL

Oh, and something else. Do any of you use VoIP services, specifically Skype or Gizmo? I'm set up for both, so if you do, drop me an e-mail with your contact info . . .

Tell me what you think

2006-03-04T13:34:00.000-05:00

What do you think about the new look? Is anything broken? If so, post a comment, would you? I'm still tweaking, definitely.

Just for fun

2006-03-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

create your own visited states map.

OK, that's it

2006-03-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

I really need to find time to do this blog justice. A redesign in in order, because I'm bored with all the purple. And for goodness' sake, I'm down to talking about my eye infection (incessantly!) and the weather. But since I've already gone there . . .

My eyes are much improved, just barely pink, and feeling ohsomuch better. So I hope that they'll be entirely clear tomorrow and I can go back to work on Monday. That would be nice!

And this weather is just nuts. 2 days ago, Lauren was playing outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Yesterday, she was fine in short sleeves with a light jacket.

Today? A minute ago it was snowing. It's a wonder we don't all have pneumonia around here!

I am beyond ready for spring.

Shhhhhh

2006-03-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

I'm typing this very, very quietly, because I certainly don't want to annoy the conjunctivitis gods. But I think my left eye is starting to improve.

Shhhhh!!!!

My right eye isn't too awful, so I don't know whether the left took the brunt of it and the virus is getting tired (yay!), or if more is yet to come (boo!). We shall see, I suppose. The first few days on the left eye were really just a minor annoyance. It wasn't too terribly awful until around day 4, and this is just day 2 for my right eye.

This is what my life is reduced to now. Much fun, no?

A few things

2006-02-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, I needed cheering up, so I uploaded this movie (from two weeks ago) to Clipshack. Next, I was reading Lifehacker, of course, and ran across this, which is quite handy. " . . . a simple little application designed to let you pin any program to the top layer of your desktop, meaning you can make any program 'always on top.' "

Following that link led me to this, which solves a minor annoyance of mine as well. "Sometimes we open our programs in a specific sequence, to keep their taskbar buttons in a desired order. But what happens if a program crashes or we close it, and then we open it again? That's right - its task button ends up last in the taskbar. Windows itself does not allow us to move the task buttons around, so we are stuck with two options: either accept the new order, or close everything and reopen them in the preferred order. TaskArrange brings an end to this annoyance, by letting us do exactly what we want: reorder the task buttons."

Oh, now that's funny

2006-02-28T12:56:00.000-05:00

This made me laugh out loud, and boy did I need that! Courtesy of my office roomie (I wish I was at work!)/Jay/Mr. R./UM.

It gets better and better

2006-02-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

Guess what's happening with my right eye now? It's pink and itchy, there's a clue for you. At this rate, I'll be totally blind soon, at least temporarily. Crap.

On the plus side, my boss was more concerned about my eye than my being able to be in the office. He's a good guy. He agreed to let me work as much as I felt up to as long as I would rest when I needed to rest, which I thought was much more than fair. However, with my right eye now involved, I won't be able to work very much, since I won't even have one good eye. Unless my left clears up pdq.

It does look a lot better today than yesterday, I have to say. It's still pink and swollen, but the swelling is much reduced. I think the eyedrops the opthalmologist gave me are making a difference there. But seriously. Crap.

Boy, this blog is just a joy to read lately, isn't it?

Pinkeye_.jpg

2006-02-27T15:26:00.000-05:00

Pinkeye_.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Very cool and very uncool

2006-02-27T14:41:00.000-05:00

This is very cool. "Freeware program John’s Background Switcher regularly changes your desktop wallpaper based on your preferences." You can select from pictures on your computer, or from Flickr. That's handy stuff there.

This next part is not cool at all. I went to see my doctor this morning, and he took one look at my eye and referred me to an opthalmologist. He said he was worried that it could be something more serious and/or an allergic reaction to the eyedrops he prescribed last week. Fortunately, he was able to get me in to an eye doc just down the road, virtually immediately.

Here's the good news. It is just pinkeye. And now for our lesson for the day: there are two basic types of pinkeye - bacterial and viral. The bacterial type is easily treated and clears up within a day or two after treatment begins. The viral type generally clears up within 3 - 5 days without treatment, but with much pain and suffering.

Guess which kind I have?

You betcha. Viral. Now here's the thing. Since it hasn't cleared up by 5 days, the eye doc said it was very probably a resistant version, and the same virus is causing my cold symptoms. Loverly. He did give me a free sample of eyedrops that should help ease the swelling and pain, but will do absolutely nothing to cure it. Nothing will cure it, except time. Here's the kicker - he said he's seen the resistant versions last up. to. three. weeks.

Need I remind you that I have very little leave time, since I was just recently on maternity leave?

Sigh.

I've got a call in to my boss to see what he wants me to do. Clearly, I can't go in to the office because I'm contagious as all hell. But the state generally frowns on telecommuting as a habit, so I don't know if that option will play. We'll see what he says when he gets free and calls me back.

Double sigh.

Wish me luck

2006-02-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

I got in with my doctor today. The nurse said he definitely wanted to see me and look at my eye. So it's good that he's taking it seriously. I'm hardly working at all today, because I have a tremendous headache from only having one eye that can see clearly. My left is extremely swollen and my vision from that eye is quite blurry. Driving should be fun! If you're in this town, stay off the roads just before 11:40!

Just kidding - I'm actually able to drive without killing anyone. But I can only see out of one eye. Squinty McPinky, that's me.

Very strange

2006-02-27T07:59:00.000-05:00

Lauren was asleep last night when Mark met my folks to pick her up around 5ish. She stayed asleep until this morning! And, bonus, her eye is not the least bit pink. She did tell me that she was thinking about pinkeye yesterday, so maybe that's why she was rubbing her eye. Or maybe just because she was clearly very tired. I don't know.

In any case, both the kids are off to school and day care, Mark is feeling better so he's off to work. It's just me here at the house, because my eye is actually worse. I'm starting to think it's something other than pinkeye, because it should have started to clear up by now. In about 5 minutes, I'll start calling my doctor to see if I can get in today.

Oh joy.

Oh no!!!

2006-02-26T17:11:00.000-05:00

Lauren had a sleepover at my parents' house last night. She slept restlessly, according to my mom, which is very unusual for her.

Guess what she started doing late morning?

Scratching her eye almost uncontrollably. Looks like pinkeye has struck a third member of this house. Mark is next. And Sam is coughing and sneezing, so it looks like he's caught our cold for sure.

Damn it.

This be bad

2006-02-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

My eye is still red, swollen, and watery. This is a bad thing. My doc said I'd be highly contagious for 24 - 48 hours after my eye cleared. Most cases of pinkeye last 3 - 5 days. Tomorrow will be 5 days. I was really hoping it would be clear this morning so that I could go to work tomorrow without fear of being Typhoid Mary, but that isn't going to happen. And I have a couple of things to do tomorrow that require me actually being in the office. Dammit, dammit, dammit.

In other news, both Mark and I have colds, so he'll probably be staying home tomorrow too. Sam is sniffly and coughing, but doesn't seem too bad. It could be due to his teeth, which still haven't poked through, but are visible beneath his gum. Of course, he gets antibodies from me which protect him to a certain extent. Maybe that's why his pinkeye cleared up in a couple of days, instead of lasting forever like mine. Lauren is fine, no sign of any illness whatsoever.

Grrrr.

Pinkeye.jpg

2006-02-25T16:09:00.000-05:00

Pinkeye.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Much fun

2006-02-24T13:45:00.000-05:00

Sam is at that interesting stage of development where he can roll over onto his stomach, but hasn't yet figured out how to get back on his back. It goes something like this:

Sam is playing on the floor, gurgling happily, and smiling at Lauren. Sam gets himself flipped over onto his belly. He is proud of his efforts. He surveys the room from this new perspective, and thinks he's pretty cool. Oh no! Tragedy! Drama! Suddenly, Sam remembers that he HATES being on his belly. If you're paying attention, you can actually watch this realization wash over his face. "Wah, wah, wah!!!! Somebody help me!!!" I help him flip back over. Lather, rinse, repeat.

He does not go on beds anymore unless we're staying right beside him. You can imagine the joy this scenario brings me at 2:00 in the morning, when he gets himself stuck on his belly. Numerous times. ;-)

Such a copycat

2006-02-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

I'm totally copying Lori-Lyn on this, but it's a cool idea. I'd love to have you participate. Click here to pick some words that describe me. And because I can take criticism, here's the negative version.

Boo hoo

2006-02-23T10:42:00.000-05:00

Guess what I have? Go on, guess!

That's right, it's pinkeye. I just talked to my doc, and he has no openings today. From talking to me, he thinks it's viral rather than bacterial, so there's little they can do. He's calling in a scrip for eyedrops, which will just keep bacteria from forming in my eye. I think he just wants me to feel like I'm doing something, kwim?

He said I'll be highly contagious for a couple of days after my eye clears. Grand. I asked him about work, and he said I shouldn't go back until Monday. I have so little leave since being off on maternity leave, that's just fricking great. I was trying to build up a little leave in case one of the kids got sick, but that seems unlikely to happen since I have to be off today and tomorrow. I'm working from home, though, so I can turn in some time. Just not enough/as much as if I were actually at work. Plus, you know, I am buried at the moment, and this is very bad timing. Grrrrr.

Go wash your hands.

Nice

2006-02-21T17:46:00.000-05:00

What a great set of images. I found this by using Netvibes as my home page (which I highly recommend, btw). Any Flickr photos tagged with "colorful" show up there, at least briefly - it's the most current 10 photos. The paper clips showed up today, I liked them, and followed the link. And found a very interesting set of photos. I'll have to keep checking to see if more are posted.

Isn't the web neat that way?

For nice photos, I also like ddoi.

Image_85.jpg

2006-02-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

Image_85.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

And another thing

2006-02-19T11:58:00.000-05:00

In the post that Blogger ate, I also gave Sam's stats from his 4 month well child check. Let's do the math. At birth, 10/13/05, he was 6 pounds 12 ounces, and 19.5 inches long. At 4 months, he was 15 pounds 15 ounces, and 25 inches long. WOW!

After a slow start . . .

2006-02-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

Our crystals are finally starting to grow!

Image_84.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Blogger ate my homework

2006-02-18T15:40:00.000-05:00

I swear, I posted yesterday, but Blogger ate it. Sam has pinkeye. In both eyes. And he's cutting his first two teeth. And thanks to the teeth, he has cold symptoms. It's been kind of rough so far, for him more than us, I'd imagine. But this is the bad part about babies. Of course, being a chill little dude, he's still pretty happy, all things considered. No one else has pinkeye (yet), and we're all washing our hands a lot. He shouldn't be contagious after tonight, because he'll have been on the antiobiotic eyedrops for 24 hours at that point. Wish us luck.

It's a special day

2006-02-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday, Lori-Lyn!!!

Image_81.jpg

2006-02-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

Image_81.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Cool idea

2006-02-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

This is handy. A local business directory called Lopico (Local Picks Online) with services rated by users. Add your favorite restaurants, hair salons, stores, etc. Cool idea. Found it on eHub.

How. Completely. Cool.

2006-02-06T20:42:00.000-05:00

Via Techcrunch. You know what else is funny? How many of these I have tried or use daily. Via BoingBoing.

This n that

2006-02-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

This is a great article on e-mail chaos control at 43 Folders. Go read it. Yesterday we had three 5-year-olds at the house, and had a grand time. Details later, maybe, in case you care. Sam is doing wonderfully, and is just such a happy, chubby, chill little guy. I adore these kids. And here's a great recipe that is not exactly light or low-fat, but damn, is it good . . . Chocolate chip dip 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips Blend ingredients together, and serve with graham cracker sticks.

Image_80.jpg

2006-02-04T14:10:00.000-05:00

Image_80.jpg
Originally uploaded by jtdarby.

Very cool wiki

2006-02-03T14:03:00.000-05:00

I'm checking out PBWiki for work purposes. So far it looks great, especially as a tool to communicate and share information with the whole team. If they'll just use it. They're a bunch of geeks, so maybe they will. We shall see.

Cool

2006-02-01T12:43:00.000-05:00

This looks like it could be handy. Watson, via Lifehacker.

"Free Windows software Watson is like an automated research assistant for your Microsoft Office suite."

Ahh, yes

2006-01-31T16:38:00.000-05:00

This is a thing of beauty. The Daily Show, of course. I really miss being able to stay awake long enough to catch that show.

Fun stuff

2006-01-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

Spell anything with Flickr images. Found it on Digg.

Also, this is a handy Greasemonkey script. Via Lifehacker.

Coretta Scott King

2006-01-31T08:02:00.000-05:00

Rest in peace.

Productivity secrets

2006-01-30T12:13:00.000-05:00

I love this line, from here:

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Abe Lincoln

Follow the link - nice summary that really rings true for me.

Hilarious

2006-01-30T10:01:00.000-05:00

Oh, you've just got to watch this. It's a riot.

How cool

2006-01-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

How completely freaking cool is this? Via Lifehacker, one of my many addictions.

Now that's a rant!

2006-01-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

This is a terrific rant. I miss having time to read Mark Morford. Now I'll have to go back and read the archives. Well, not now, exactly, since I'm at work, but soon. Really. I swear. Soon. Really.

Now that's a handy list

2006-01-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

Have you seen those Citi commercials where the guy is trying everything just to get a human on the phone? Ever faced voice mail hell yourself? Then you'll like this list.