New York is a walking city. Or if it's not, it becomes one when you don't own a car. Sure, the subway is required and bus routes as well, but I spend a large portion of my day walking.
Today for example, first thing I did was get Paul ready and packed into the stroller in order to take Stanley out for his morning walk. 45 minutes of walking later, we came back to the apartment, dropped Stan off, turned right around and walked to music class. After music class, we walked to the park (via the necessary coffee stop). Finished at the park, walked the 8 blocks home again in time for lunch and nap.
After Paul and I both had a siesta, I thought that perhaps I should do some returns in the city. Paul back in the stroller, walked to the subway, up four flights of stairs carrying Paul, a backpack, and a stroller. When the subway arrived I knew that this was a bad plan. All the cars were jam packed. I had thought that we were going to beat rush hour, but I guess I was wrong. Crammed the stroller into the car, and stood shoulder to shoulder with all the other commuters.
Now, this is an aside from the walking story, but relevant all the same. While on the car, I was jammed up against one of the seats in which a sour looking old man sat reading a book. We bumped, we jostled, and at one point I was pressed into him a little bit. Got a nasty look. More bumping, more jostling, more nasty looks.
At this point in the day, I'm tired. I'm tired from all the walking and the schlepping, and the mommying, and I am just daring this sour old man to say something to me. I'm thinking to myself "If he opens his mouth at all, so help me..." But, I'm also sensitive and defensive. And I'm starting to wonder if I'm too sensitive for this city full of jaded New Yorkers. So, I cave. I can't take the nasty looks, or the crowded subway car that we have no business being on in rush hour.
Two stops later, we abandon plan and get off the subway. Down four flights of stairs, carrying a toddler in one arm, a backpack on my back, and a stroller in the other arm. Walk 10 blocks to the park...again. Walk home, pick up Stanley, turn around and go out for another walk. This time, Paul decides he wants to be carried for the whole walk (left the stroller at home just to change things up!). Paul in one arm, Stanley in the other.
So now it's 8pm. Finally lounging on the couch. Until 10pm, when Stan needs to go out again.
So, with all this lugging, schlepping, walking, you would think that I would be burning a million calories a day and getting skinnier by the minute. But, unfortunately this is New York. And this city wears you down, so here's where the eating comes in.
Yesterday, after we got off the subway, I was holding Paul and we were playing a little game and giggling before I put him back in the stroller. A pigeon shat on my head. Well, that smartened me up and wiped the smile off my face. I immediately walked to the nearest store, bought a Nestle Crunch (which I haven't eaten in about a decade) and ate the whole thing.
Today, after rude subway guy hurt my feelings with his nasty looks, I picked up a frappacino and gulped it down.
These days are so physically exhausting, that I barely ever want to cook or grocery shop, so we order take out.
At the end of the day I am literally sore to the point of aching, but scarfing down a pint of Ben & Jerry's isn't going to trim the waistline. This is what I mean when I say, You Eat Some, You Burn Some (or probably more accurately the other way around, but no matter).
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A day in the life in Queens
Chris has started his rotations at Flushing Hospital (first up is Pediatrics), so Paul and I are trying to get into a routine of our own. Here's how it goes:
Chris leaves the house around 6am (ugh!). Paul and I continue to sleep. Eventually, Paul starts to make mewling noises between 7am-8am. Often at this point I go fill up a bottle with milk, give it to him in his crib, and crawl back into bed. Either Paul falls back asleep for an hour, or 20 min. later I start to hear "Hi! Hi! Hi!" coming from the bedroom.
I'll go and get Paul, his pillow, his blankie, his monkey, and his bottle and bring them out into my bed (we're still sleeping in the family room - long story). I'll fill his bottle with water, and we'll cuddle in bed for a little while longer, before Paul starts asking for either "Ocean" (his baby einstein video) or "music". If I'm feeling like a responsible parent, I'll put on music, if I'm feeling lazy I'll put on the video and use it as a babysitter while I shower.
After breakfast, we'll hit the public park. Me with my coffee, Paul with his truck, ball, blowing bubbles, and snacks. We'll spend a couple of hours at the park, trying to make friends and meet new people. It's slow going, but I have had some decent conversations here and there. Today, I didn't really have much. All I could come up with was commenting on some other mom's baby carrier and how it was one I also had and really liked. Lame, I know. But it opened up the convo, and we found out we're both social workers (well, me kind of).
Time to come home and have a nap. Usually this is both of us, because if I don't nap, I look around my house and the many things that need doing and feel depressed. So, I ignore it and nap, play on the computer or read.
Usually, Paul naps for about 2 hrs. Yesterday, it was three hours, and by the end of the third hour, I went and woke him up because I was bored. Ha! Talk about crap parenting!
Time to shop! The other day we went into the City and met with a friend for window shopping. Yesterday, P & I walked over to Old Navy and some other discount stores and poked around.
Once Paul has had enough of that, I'll often go to Dunkin' Donuts and get one of the worst-for-you-drinks-ever - a coffee slushy. In my defense, I'll only get a small, no topping, and it's smokin' hot out here - so don't be a judger! Back to the park, but this time I'll go to Sunnyside Gardens park. Again, slow going meeting people at this one. There's a meet & greet coming up sometime soon, so hopefully that will open a few doors.
Back to the apartment for dinner and bed (which is like 9:30pm around here these days cause of Chris' early mornings. I don't like it at all!). It was super lovely the other day when Chris walked over to the park and brought us pizza for dinner. We ate at a picnic table, and Paul ran around in his diaper splashing in the sprinklers. Hopefully, we have more evenings like that one.
Night times these days is sweltering hot, with no a/c in our apartment yet (another long story). We all sleep sprawled out with no blankets, trying not to die of dehydration. We often leave our apartment door open a crack (with the chain on) to get a cross draft, but then our apartment fills up with flies which is just nasty.
And that's it! Repeat, repeat, repeat. Kind of uninspiring right now, but I suppose I'll have to get into more of a groove. What did I do in Grenada everyday when I was at home? Why am I bored? Maybe I'm having an existential crisis. But I was back at work these past four months, and although it was rewarding, I missed being at home! Always want what you can't have I suppose.
I live in NYC for heaven's sake! There must be a ton of things to do! I just need to work up the energy to get out there. We'll see how that goes. Signing off from Queens, NY!
Chris leaves the house around 6am (ugh!). Paul and I continue to sleep. Eventually, Paul starts to make mewling noises between 7am-8am. Often at this point I go fill up a bottle with milk, give it to him in his crib, and crawl back into bed. Either Paul falls back asleep for an hour, or 20 min. later I start to hear "Hi! Hi! Hi!" coming from the bedroom.
I'll go and get Paul, his pillow, his blankie, his monkey, and his bottle and bring them out into my bed (we're still sleeping in the family room - long story). I'll fill his bottle with water, and we'll cuddle in bed for a little while longer, before Paul starts asking for either "Ocean" (his baby einstein video) or "music". If I'm feeling like a responsible parent, I'll put on music, if I'm feeling lazy I'll put on the video and use it as a babysitter while I shower.
After breakfast, we'll hit the public park. Me with my coffee, Paul with his truck, ball, blowing bubbles, and snacks. We'll spend a couple of hours at the park, trying to make friends and meet new people. It's slow going, but I have had some decent conversations here and there. Today, I didn't really have much. All I could come up with was commenting on some other mom's baby carrier and how it was one I also had and really liked. Lame, I know. But it opened up the convo, and we found out we're both social workers (well, me kind of).
Time to come home and have a nap. Usually this is both of us, because if I don't nap, I look around my house and the many things that need doing and feel depressed. So, I ignore it and nap, play on the computer or read.
Usually, Paul naps for about 2 hrs. Yesterday, it was three hours, and by the end of the third hour, I went and woke him up because I was bored. Ha! Talk about crap parenting!
Time to shop! The other day we went into the City and met with a friend for window shopping. Yesterday, P & I walked over to Old Navy and some other discount stores and poked around.
Once Paul has had enough of that, I'll often go to Dunkin' Donuts and get one of the worst-for-you-drinks-ever - a coffee slushy. In my defense, I'll only get a small, no topping, and it's smokin' hot out here - so don't be a judger! Back to the park, but this time I'll go to Sunnyside Gardens park. Again, slow going meeting people at this one. There's a meet & greet coming up sometime soon, so hopefully that will open a few doors.
Back to the apartment for dinner and bed (which is like 9:30pm around here these days cause of Chris' early mornings. I don't like it at all!). It was super lovely the other day when Chris walked over to the park and brought us pizza for dinner. We ate at a picnic table, and Paul ran around in his diaper splashing in the sprinklers. Hopefully, we have more evenings like that one.
Night times these days is sweltering hot, with no a/c in our apartment yet (another long story). We all sleep sprawled out with no blankets, trying not to die of dehydration. We often leave our apartment door open a crack (with the chain on) to get a cross draft, but then our apartment fills up with flies which is just nasty.
And that's it! Repeat, repeat, repeat. Kind of uninspiring right now, but I suppose I'll have to get into more of a groove. What did I do in Grenada everyday when I was at home? Why am I bored? Maybe I'm having an existential crisis. But I was back at work these past four months, and although it was rewarding, I missed being at home! Always want what you can't have I suppose.
I live in NYC for heaven's sake! There must be a ton of things to do! I just need to work up the energy to get out there. We'll see how that goes. Signing off from Queens, NY!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Evening
My husband has gone out for the evening, and so I have taken it upon myself to eat KD and Ben & Jerry's and watch cheesy movies.
I was setting up shelving units while watching Julie & Julia for the upteenth time, when I saw that the shelving I was setting up was the exact same as they had in their apartment in the movie! Must be a Queens thing (or, more likely, a Home Depot thing).
It's too hot to sleep with the windows closed since we don't have our a/c units installed yet, and so currently I am listening to someone doing their rendition of 'Memories' at the karaoke bar across the street. I'm glad Chris isn't here as the bitching would be endless. He hates being hot, and he hates karaoke...especially bad karaoke.
Went to the park with Paul again today. We've been to all the parks in the vicinity, with the exception of the private park. I have definitely found a favourite, where it seems like a good mix of people, but it's still hard engaging with other parents. I don't find them very chatty. Even Chris said so, and if Chris fails to strike up conversations you know it's a tough crowd.
I thought of joining the private park, although I have no idea the cost. They actually have grass at that park! And tennis courts too, which Chris is stoked about. But Chris doesn't agree with the idea of a private park, and thinks it's too segregated and elitist. On one hand I agree with these sentiments, but on the other I thought it might be easier to meet people in a smaller park. The public parks are huge, with a ton of kids and parents, and sometimes you just feel like one in a million - it's impossible to get noticed. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted!
I was setting up shelving units while watching Julie & Julia for the upteenth time, when I saw that the shelving I was setting up was the exact same as they had in their apartment in the movie! Must be a Queens thing (or, more likely, a Home Depot thing).
It's too hot to sleep with the windows closed since we don't have our a/c units installed yet, and so currently I am listening to someone doing their rendition of 'Memories' at the karaoke bar across the street. I'm glad Chris isn't here as the bitching would be endless. He hates being hot, and he hates karaoke...especially bad karaoke.
Went to the park with Paul again today. We've been to all the parks in the vicinity, with the exception of the private park. I have definitely found a favourite, where it seems like a good mix of people, but it's still hard engaging with other parents. I don't find them very chatty. Even Chris said so, and if Chris fails to strike up conversations you know it's a tough crowd.
I thought of joining the private park, although I have no idea the cost. They actually have grass at that park! And tennis courts too, which Chris is stoked about. But Chris doesn't agree with the idea of a private park, and thinks it's too segregated and elitist. On one hand I agree with these sentiments, but on the other I thought it might be easier to meet people in a smaller park. The public parks are huge, with a ton of kids and parents, and sometimes you just feel like one in a million - it's impossible to get noticed. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
NYC
Well, it's time I suppose, to bring back the blog. I'll try harder this time I promise!
I'm sitting in my new apartment in Queens, listening to Paul natter away in the bedroom. The only bedroom. We're been here almost two weeks now and the wall that has been promised to go up and give Paul his own bedroom has yet to appear. So, Paul sleeps in the master and Chris & I sleep in the family room.
So far there have been a number of things I've noticed about big city living that is very different than what I expected, or maybe I just never thought about it before.
1. Cream. Cream in my coffee. I ask for cream, and whoever is serving me looks blank for a moment, and then suggests "half & half?" No, not half & half, and no, not cooking cream. I just mean cream...coffee cream.
2. Traffic. Pedestrians. Cyclists. Emergency vehicles. There are no rules of the road here. It's kind of like Grenada, but times 10. Pedestrians never wait for a walk light, and often they are in the crosswalk when cars have the right of way, flipping off motorists for not slowing down. The reverse is true as well. Vehicles never, ever wait for a cleared crosswalk before making a turn. I suppose if they did, they would never get around a corner as the foot traffic never lets up. But I must admit I'm pretty choked when in the crosswalk with my stroller and cars are going around me on both sides. Cyclists take their lives into their hands every time they ride on these roads.
Emergency vehicles. If I were driving an emergency vehicle I would probably have a coronary from road rage. Most motorists do not seem to care to get out of the way of emergency vehicles, or they may change lanes, but they most certainly do not pull over and stop. I suppose half the time, they have no where to go, and just let the emerg. vehicle get around them somehow. This is probably why emergency vehicles use their horns constantly blarring their way through the streets of NY. Somewhat obnoxious, but I guess necessary.
3. That's another thing...horns. The honking is constant. There are even signs that go ignored all over the place warning against honking. In Grenada, the honking was a friendly beep, beep all the time, to say hi, to give warning, or to offer right of way. In Calgary no one dares use their horn because we're all so damned polite. In NY it's constant, obnoxious, "get the eff outta my way," or "you're a moron," honking. Kinda annoying and negative.
4. No 7-11's. Mom & Pop convenient stores on every corner, or in Manhattan - news stands. Kinda cool, actually.
5. Street meat is not just hotdogs. Often it's Halal food or sometimes, Mexican. One drunken night at 4am, Chris bartered a street vendor selling pastries down to 2 bucks from three crewlers.
6. Haven't seen many big malls. And the malls seem to be just stores or food restaurants, no kiddie play areas and such.
7. Haven't yet seen a Coffee & Scream. I think I need to open one.
8. No Safeway's. Mostly corner groceries. At least in Queens. Again, kinda cool to keep the big box stores out, but a bit harder to find everything I'd like in one shop. The only Whole Foods I've seen is in Manhattan, and it will be unrealistic to make the trek very often. I have noticed though that lots of the little stores carry a variety of items, and it is possible to find rarer items there too, depending. I think I'll have to subscribe to delivery service for some of the specialty items I can't find in my neighbourhood.
PS...All the grocery stores deliver!
So, these are just a few of the things I've noticed right off the bat. Obviously the first things, are the ones that are different and unexpected. I'm not down on things by any means, and I'm actually pretty stoked to be here. It's an amazing city, with a million things to do to keep one busy. Paul & I are really gonna rip it up out here :)
I'm sitting in my new apartment in Queens, listening to Paul natter away in the bedroom. The only bedroom. We're been here almost two weeks now and the wall that has been promised to go up and give Paul his own bedroom has yet to appear. So, Paul sleeps in the master and Chris & I sleep in the family room.
So far there have been a number of things I've noticed about big city living that is very different than what I expected, or maybe I just never thought about it before.
1. Cream. Cream in my coffee. I ask for cream, and whoever is serving me looks blank for a moment, and then suggests "half & half?" No, not half & half, and no, not cooking cream. I just mean cream...coffee cream.
2. Traffic. Pedestrians. Cyclists. Emergency vehicles. There are no rules of the road here. It's kind of like Grenada, but times 10. Pedestrians never wait for a walk light, and often they are in the crosswalk when cars have the right of way, flipping off motorists for not slowing down. The reverse is true as well. Vehicles never, ever wait for a cleared crosswalk before making a turn. I suppose if they did, they would never get around a corner as the foot traffic never lets up. But I must admit I'm pretty choked when in the crosswalk with my stroller and cars are going around me on both sides. Cyclists take their lives into their hands every time they ride on these roads.
Emergency vehicles. If I were driving an emergency vehicle I would probably have a coronary from road rage. Most motorists do not seem to care to get out of the way of emergency vehicles, or they may change lanes, but they most certainly do not pull over and stop. I suppose half the time, they have no where to go, and just let the emerg. vehicle get around them somehow. This is probably why emergency vehicles use their horns constantly blarring their way through the streets of NY. Somewhat obnoxious, but I guess necessary.
3. That's another thing...horns. The honking is constant. There are even signs that go ignored all over the place warning against honking. In Grenada, the honking was a friendly beep, beep all the time, to say hi, to give warning, or to offer right of way. In Calgary no one dares use their horn because we're all so damned polite. In NY it's constant, obnoxious, "get the eff outta my way," or "you're a moron," honking. Kinda annoying and negative.
4. No 7-11's. Mom & Pop convenient stores on every corner, or in Manhattan - news stands. Kinda cool, actually.
5. Street meat is not just hotdogs. Often it's Halal food or sometimes, Mexican. One drunken night at 4am, Chris bartered a street vendor selling pastries down to 2 bucks from three crewlers.
6. Haven't seen many big malls. And the malls seem to be just stores or food restaurants, no kiddie play areas and such.
7. Haven't yet seen a Coffee & Scream. I think I need to open one.
8. No Safeway's. Mostly corner groceries. At least in Queens. Again, kinda cool to keep the big box stores out, but a bit harder to find everything I'd like in one shop. The only Whole Foods I've seen is in Manhattan, and it will be unrealistic to make the trek very often. I have noticed though that lots of the little stores carry a variety of items, and it is possible to find rarer items there too, depending. I think I'll have to subscribe to delivery service for some of the specialty items I can't find in my neighbourhood.
PS...All the grocery stores deliver!
So, these are just a few of the things I've noticed right off the bat. Obviously the first things, are the ones that are different and unexpected. I'm not down on things by any means, and I'm actually pretty stoked to be here. It's an amazing city, with a million things to do to keep one busy. Paul & I are really gonna rip it up out here :)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Biding My Time
So how long does it take for one to get their act together? I'm just wondering this as a general question so that I know the appropriate time allotment I'm allowed for certain endeavors. One such endeavor is creating an album of the two years we lived in Grenada. I think I have no end of wonderful pictures (if I include all those I fully intend on stealing from my friend's flicker pages and blogs), and materials to make a most fabulous album. I have many friends who have written creative and descriptive blogs which would make great books/journals of their time in Grenada, but my blog activity has been spotty at best so I think a picture album would be more up my alley (unless I steal all of Julie's blogs and pretend her adventures are my own).
This is one thing that I need to do in the near future. I may or may not be taking courses this Spring, and so I think a good deadline would be end of summer for this project. I don't want to leave it too long, and end up with no memoir at all (which is what happened to my lovely honeymoon album which is still in a "to do" box).
Although I love all the advancements of technology, having all my memories on a flash drive is not quite cutting it for me these days. Why does it seem like such a pain to actually print out pictures into hard copy? And then once you have them, what does one do with them anymore? I am not much of a scrapbooker, but I think albums can still be quite nice and less of a time commitment than the artistic undertaking of a scrapbook.
I am very ashamed to admit that I don't even have pictures of my son to carry around in my wallet! OK, maybe I have one of him on Santa's lap last Christmas (and I'm talking last last Christmas), but it's not really representational anymore, and when I pull out a picture of a 5 month old and then tell my audience that my son is really 18 months old, I think I get funny looks, and I'm sure they're for being a crap mother.
Maybe we need a family pic at the Sears portrait studio with all of us in matching outfits, or with Paul in a sailor uniform or something. Then if I carried this around in my pocket, I would at least have something to show. I think I'm also carrying around pictures of my friend's kids (instead of my own), and my nephew at 2 yrs (he's now 6). It's just pathetic.
But in my defense I am still new at mastering how one actually goes about developing digital pictures in to hard copies. I think I somehow have to take them out of my iPhoto, but them back on the memory stick, and take the memory stick to London Drugs, plug it into the machine and do some printing via computer station. It's all very confusing. The last time I did this, I tried to make my mom a brag book of all her grandchildren, and I ordered all the pictures in the wrong size so that none of them actually fit into the brag album that I bought her. I had to give her the little photo album with a bunch of giant pictures sticking out at all angles and be like "Hey, why don't you take this awkward package to Long Island with you to show all your cousins!" I think she ended up only taking out two pics on their own, and left the whole brag book and the extra pictures behind. It was a very sad attempt at a nice gesture.
So anyway, I would like to make an album, and suppose I should start it soon. Before I have new albums of New York and perhaps Denmark to create (and procrastinate). And hey, you never know. Maybe one day I'll surprise myself (and my husband) and finally finish that honeymoon album too!
This is one thing that I need to do in the near future. I may or may not be taking courses this Spring, and so I think a good deadline would be end of summer for this project. I don't want to leave it too long, and end up with no memoir at all (which is what happened to my lovely honeymoon album which is still in a "to do" box).
Although I love all the advancements of technology, having all my memories on a flash drive is not quite cutting it for me these days. Why does it seem like such a pain to actually print out pictures into hard copy? And then once you have them, what does one do with them anymore? I am not much of a scrapbooker, but I think albums can still be quite nice and less of a time commitment than the artistic undertaking of a scrapbook.
I am very ashamed to admit that I don't even have pictures of my son to carry around in my wallet! OK, maybe I have one of him on Santa's lap last Christmas (and I'm talking last last Christmas), but it's not really representational anymore, and when I pull out a picture of a 5 month old and then tell my audience that my son is really 18 months old, I think I get funny looks, and I'm sure they're for being a crap mother.
Maybe we need a family pic at the Sears portrait studio with all of us in matching outfits, or with Paul in a sailor uniform or something. Then if I carried this around in my pocket, I would at least have something to show. I think I'm also carrying around pictures of my friend's kids (instead of my own), and my nephew at 2 yrs (he's now 6). It's just pathetic.
But in my defense I am still new at mastering how one actually goes about developing digital pictures in to hard copies. I think I somehow have to take them out of my iPhoto, but them back on the memory stick, and take the memory stick to London Drugs, plug it into the machine and do some printing via computer station. It's all very confusing. The last time I did this, I tried to make my mom a brag book of all her grandchildren, and I ordered all the pictures in the wrong size so that none of them actually fit into the brag album that I bought her. I had to give her the little photo album with a bunch of giant pictures sticking out at all angles and be like "Hey, why don't you take this awkward package to Long Island with you to show all your cousins!" I think she ended up only taking out two pics on their own, and left the whole brag book and the extra pictures behind. It was a very sad attempt at a nice gesture.
So anyway, I would like to make an album, and suppose I should start it soon. Before I have new albums of New York and perhaps Denmark to create (and procrastinate). And hey, you never know. Maybe one day I'll surprise myself (and my husband) and finally finish that honeymoon album too!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Our First Month Home
Well, we have endured January in Canada, and I must say, it was nearly as cold as I was afraid it would be. Of the four weeks I have been home, probably three of those weeks have been fairly temperate (not going below -20C). I still have to work up the courage to walk Paul and Stan at the same time on snowy streets, but I think my reservations are more due to laziness than fear of the cold for Paul.
Our flight home was adventurous as always. Having Stan rejected on the flight at the last minute, missing our connection in a FREEZING Toronto and having to be shuttled in the dead of night to some hotel, just to be shuttled back 5 hrs. later. Although, I should definitely not complain, since they bumped some poor schmuck on the next days flight so that P & I could get out of dodge. Thank God for the infant advantage, is all I have to say!
The day after Paul and I arrived we moved into our house. We have lived here a month, and I can still count the pieces of furniture we have on one hand (and two of those are in Paul's room). However, it is a wide open, child friendly place for Paul to explore, and I have little need for much else.
Stan even has his own bedroom! The furnishings consist of one blanket on the floor. He's thrilled!
I had one week to get set up and organized before starting my practicum at Children & Family Services (basically Child Welfare). We are now beginning our fourth week, and thus far I have been really enjoying the experience. I am often intimidated, but I am captivated by all the new experiences, and all the ranges of cases that we are getting. It can be really emotionally taxing at times, something I don't notice until I have a day off and start reflecting about what has gone on at work. Then I sit and dwell on a particular situation until I am ready to move through it. Chris has been really excellent at listening to me when I need to debrief (social worker lingo), even though he's very far away and trying to focus on studying for the most important exam of his life. I try to limit talking about the heavy stuff, as it doesn't make 'feel good' dinner convo.
Paul is changing and growing into a little boy more and more each day. He's talking lots, so active that I can barely keep up, and being generally a wonderful human being, and joy of my life :) He has yet to tell me "no" ever, although he does make it abundantly clear when he's not interested in doing what you want of him. He even will take 'time outs' and will sit against the wall crying his head off until I tell him he can move.
Other than that, we're just sitting around waiting for Chris to come home. Three weeks and counting! I can't wait until the USMLE is over and we can enjoy some time together until clinicals start on May 5.
Happy February everyone! Enjoy the Olympics :)
Our flight home was adventurous as always. Having Stan rejected on the flight at the last minute, missing our connection in a FREEZING Toronto and having to be shuttled in the dead of night to some hotel, just to be shuttled back 5 hrs. later. Although, I should definitely not complain, since they bumped some poor schmuck on the next days flight so that P & I could get out of dodge. Thank God for the infant advantage, is all I have to say!
The day after Paul and I arrived we moved into our house. We have lived here a month, and I can still count the pieces of furniture we have on one hand (and two of those are in Paul's room). However, it is a wide open, child friendly place for Paul to explore, and I have little need for much else.
Stan even has his own bedroom! The furnishings consist of one blanket on the floor. He's thrilled!
I had one week to get set up and organized before starting my practicum at Children & Family Services (basically Child Welfare). We are now beginning our fourth week, and thus far I have been really enjoying the experience. I am often intimidated, but I am captivated by all the new experiences, and all the ranges of cases that we are getting. It can be really emotionally taxing at times, something I don't notice until I have a day off and start reflecting about what has gone on at work. Then I sit and dwell on a particular situation until I am ready to move through it. Chris has been really excellent at listening to me when I need to debrief (social worker lingo), even though he's very far away and trying to focus on studying for the most important exam of his life. I try to limit talking about the heavy stuff, as it doesn't make 'feel good' dinner convo.
Paul is changing and growing into a little boy more and more each day. He's talking lots, so active that I can barely keep up, and being generally a wonderful human being, and joy of my life :) He has yet to tell me "no" ever, although he does make it abundantly clear when he's not interested in doing what you want of him. He even will take 'time outs' and will sit against the wall crying his head off until I tell him he can move.
Other than that, we're just sitting around waiting for Chris to come home. Three weeks and counting! I can't wait until the USMLE is over and we can enjoy some time together until clinicals start on May 5.
Happy February everyone! Enjoy the Olympics :)
Sunday, November 15, 2009
NYC
OK, so never mind the last post which was essentially all about Jersey and how we were going to go there. We changed our minds at the last minute and decided to put in for all NYC hospitals. The reasons are many, and I don't want to go into it all again after having hashed it out over and over for the past two weeks. Lets just say Chris & I are happy and confident in our decision, and are REALLY hopeful for our number one pick, but are fully aware it's unlikely we'll get.
Went to the beach at the Aquarium today. Cruise ship season is ramping up again, so there were a number of cruisers at the beach. This boat was very obviously a European crowd as the men were all in speedos and the women were either in teensy bikinis or topless. Not a common site when the American boats are in. When researching Grenada before we came here I read that it was not acceptable to go topless on the beaches here as it's a conservative culture compared to the other islands. The Euros apparently didn't get the memo or don't care, and what the hell! They're on vacay!!!! Besides, for a 'conservative culture' I routinely see women nursing their babies out in the open without even the discrete little wraps we North American-ers now use, so I guess it's hypocritical. Showing your 't's' while nursing is ok, but frolicking on the beach is a no-go. Who can keep up with all these double-standards?!
Julie, our ever-adventurous neighbour in all things Grenadian, has now made TWO authentic drinks lately out of local fare. The first being a 'nut-water' concoction with green coconut water, rum, and condensed milk. This drink was pretty good other than the fact that we used the 75% rum which tastes like gasoline, and which you're not even allowed to take on planes due to the high flammability. So needless to say, it burned going down. But the burn was good, and we had a really intense discussion, although I can't remember what it was about anymore.
The second drink debuted at The Flats happy hour last night, and was made from sea moss, rum, bitters and milk (i think). It was really good - for the first half. Then the last half had all the sea moss gelled bits at the bottom (gray gelatinous stuff that Julie soaked, boiled and blended into the drinks). Think of fish-eye tapioca. Well, I don't drink tapioca. So I think next time I'll have to strain my drink first, cause the flavour in general was still delish.
Off to bed now. Night!
Went to the beach at the Aquarium today. Cruise ship season is ramping up again, so there were a number of cruisers at the beach. This boat was very obviously a European crowd as the men were all in speedos and the women were either in teensy bikinis or topless. Not a common site when the American boats are in. When researching Grenada before we came here I read that it was not acceptable to go topless on the beaches here as it's a conservative culture compared to the other islands. The Euros apparently didn't get the memo or don't care, and what the hell! They're on vacay!!!! Besides, for a 'conservative culture' I routinely see women nursing their babies out in the open without even the discrete little wraps we North American-ers now use, so I guess it's hypocritical. Showing your 't's' while nursing is ok, but frolicking on the beach is a no-go. Who can keep up with all these double-standards?!
Julie, our ever-adventurous neighbour in all things Grenadian, has now made TWO authentic drinks lately out of local fare. The first being a 'nut-water' concoction with green coconut water, rum, and condensed milk. This drink was pretty good other than the fact that we used the 75% rum which tastes like gasoline, and which you're not even allowed to take on planes due to the high flammability. So needless to say, it burned going down. But the burn was good, and we had a really intense discussion, although I can't remember what it was about anymore.
The second drink debuted at The Flats happy hour last night, and was made from sea moss, rum, bitters and milk (i think). It was really good - for the first half. Then the last half had all the sea moss gelled bits at the bottom (gray gelatinous stuff that Julie soaked, boiled and blended into the drinks). Think of fish-eye tapioca. Well, I don't drink tapioca. So I think next time I'll have to strain my drink first, cause the flavour in general was still delish.
Off to bed now. Night!
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