« September 2009 | Main | March 2010 »

October 2009 Archives

October 7, 2009

about:blank


Well, I finally got the flu. Two whole weeks of co-existing with my semi-sick husband and sometimes sick little boy and I'm starting to feel pretty cavalier. My immune system must really be kick-ass, I think. My system more vulnerable to disease to most? HA!

Well, wouldn't you figure that I get it worse than the two of them put together and right before we're supposed to go on vacation (we've been planning a long weekend to go down South, hit Disneyland and meet up with my uncles and cousins in San Diego). Last night, I had a wicked sore throat, fever and stomach issues. I lay on the bed sucking cough drops and popsicles, eating ice cream and sipping tea while watching successive episodes of "Gossip Girl." Today, my fever is gone, my throat is less scratchy and my bowels have, thus far, been silent. I'm feeling better and, I have to say, it's really nice to just be sick, like normally sick, for a change. I keep thinking, my whole life could be like this now!

Tuesday I have a big clinic day, bone marrow biopsy and everything. I am also getting my "newborn" vaccinations. Last Tuesday, I got to drop another Tacrolimus pill and, this Tuesday, there be may more to go.

Lots of people have been asking me how I like my new house, how I spend my days, etc. I simply can't explain how awesome it is. I walk out my door and stroll down to the bus stop. The sun's on my face and plants are so green. It smells good, like fresh sheets and there are people to watch. I'm wearing my headphones, enhancing the experience, my own personal sound-of-life soundtrack. The bus arrives and I slump into a window seat near the back door. The bus lurches forward and I get lost in the bustle, staring out the window and letting my mind wander. I am so drunk on imagery and my own thoughts that I almost miss my stop. I pop out at 16th Street and make my way toward Zach's school. I pull out my cell phone to check the time. I'm early and consider, as I always do, walking down to Bi-Rite for an ice cream. Deciding against it, I let myself into the school yard, settle on a picnic table bench and wait. Some of the other moms and dads will be here soon and I like the chit chat.

At roughly 2:15pm, the kids start milling out of their bungalows. I see Zach. He's wearing his backpack which makes him look very grown up. There's a moment where I get to watch him before he sees me, but then he does see me and he lets out a squeal. You see it in movies and commercials all the time, but there is nothing better than having your kid run from some distance into your arms. I bend down, arms outstretched and, when he hits me, we almost fall over. I ask him "how was your day?" and he ignores me. When I tell him we're taking the bus home, he squeals again.

My day varies from here. Sometimes Zach and I spend a lonnng time waiting for the J and sometimes we spend a lonnnnng time for the 48. Sometimes we stop at a park. Sometimes we go to the library. Sometimes we have a play date with either Emma (who is, as Zach says, "much beautiful") or Oliver, two new friends from school. Sometimes we head over the bridge, either the Bay Bridge to see cousins Zoe and Maizie or the Golden Gate to see Grandmamma, G-Paw and, hopefully BFF Carter. Wherever we go, though, it's an adventure. There are always things like rockets and sea turtles and crabs that like to pinch and tickle. And I always come home with a pocket full of smooth rocks, leaves and feathers.

October 22, 2009

Disneyland and other adventures ...

Zach and Katie at Disneyland

Thanks to my friend, Jonny, I am sort of addicted to Blip FM. It's this web site where you can essentially DJ by "blipping" songs. I am totally reliving my college DJ name, even using my old handle ("Lovecat") as my user name. I get on the computer, intending to blip one or two songs and then get caught up in the vibe of the playlist. I just gotta keep it going. Before you know it, I'm whoring all over the web looking for the next "perfect" song. It's grand fun.

Lots has happened since I last wrote. Most notably, Ian, Zach and I went on a road trip, first down to L.A. for Disneyland and then to San Diego for the annual Zarling family reunion. Zach loved Disneyland. In fact, we all loved Disneyland. It's largely the same as it's ever been except that some of the rides have been retooled to reflect current characters. For example, what used to be the Swiss Family Robinson House is now the Tarzan tree house and the submarine ride is totally Nemo. Of course we went on "It's a Small World," which always seems to have an extra couple of rooms (Zach was entranced). We also tried the Buzz Light Year ride, which is totally cool because you get to shoot lasers at targets for points. On Thursday night, we stayed for the fireworks (probably the best I've ever seen). And we rode the train ... and the monorail ... and the tram .... and the train again.

On Friday afternoon, we headed south toward San Diego. The freeways throughout Los Angeles are insane. You only need two passengers to qualify as a carpool, yet most cars contain single drivers. Traffic is horrible and it takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get anywhere. We finally did get to San Diego around dinnertime and let the festivities begin. My uncle owns a second home in Rancho Bernardo, which my cousin Beth lives in full-time, so we convened there. All Zarling family reunions are focused around two things: Food and wine ... and mostly wine. Now, I left to go back to the hotel around 9pm and I heard at least five more bottles were consumed after my departure ... Somewhat of a blind taste among five notable Pinot Noirs. The diehards -- my uncles and a few of my cousins -- stayed up until 3am and were somehow ready and able to go wine tasting by 10:30am the next day.

On Saturday, we visited two wineries and had a lavish lunch at a third. Back at the house that evening, my Uncle Ed made dinner starting off with, get this, plantain, refried beans, cheese and sausage (yes, arranged all together in a stack) hors devours. Now I would've never in a million years put those four things together, but it was actually quite good. Then came the burger ... It was stuffed with goodness and topped with -- are you ready? -- pulled pork and deep fried breaded onions. It was tasty, but I think I only made it through a third of the sandwich. For dessert, my Aunt Jamie procured a chocolate cake in honor of my birthday (I'm 38! A totally irrelevant marketing demographic!), which was also awesome. Oh, and there was also some wine. I don't know where all I put it, but I was asleep on the couch by 8:30pm and thus missed night two of debaucherous wine tasting.

We've been back home now for almost two weeks and have easily fallen back into the step of life. Some good news is that we *FINALLY* got a permit from the city to start construction on the upstairs -- and it got approved according to our "best case scenario" plans. Horray! I also think I may have solved an outstanding health insurance payment snafu ... It's amazing what some carriers will do to put off payment of large number claims. Honestly, the state of our healthcare industry blows my mind when I try to think about it -- and we have good insurance. But that's another story.

Well, I hope you are all well (I am, did I say that?) ...

much love,
Katie


About October 2009

This page contains all entries posted to Katie's BMT Updates in October 2009. They are listed from oldest to newest.

September 2009 is the previous archive.

March 2010 is the next archive.

Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

Powered by
Movable Type 4.25