Once upon a time there was an eleven year old who begged his mother for permission to stay at his best friend's house after school. After presenting multiple reasons for why this was a good idea, the mother relented.
Two hours later the mother's phone rings and she sees it's the best friend's mom. She answers with a "what's wrong?" and hears that her son has bumped his head and is now laying on the couch trying to fall asleep.
The mother knows this is bad news and calls her friend that is an ER nurse that lives near the best friend. The ER nurse is gracious enough to rush over to check on the eleven year old while the mother waits anxiously by the phone wondering if her night was going to end at the hospital.
Soon the phone rings and the mother answers and hears lots of laughter and a disjointed story via several different boys. The gist of the story is that the head injury was made up in order to mask the fact that the eleven year old isn't feeling well.
Head injury.
Upset stomach.
Head injury.
Upset stomach.
The eleven year old gets on the phone with the mother and explains that he didn't want to have to go home. The eleven year old and his friends thought claiming he had bumped his head would ensure his chance to stay put.
Many tears, a taxi ride later, a plastic bag that will never be the same again and the eleven year old is now tucked into bed. Without a head injury.
Not that the mother didn't think about giving him one.
April 30, 2012
April 27, 2012
Dying Brain Cells
Today has been one of those days where I feel like I've been home for brief 4 minute increments of water and potty breaks in between outings. It's one of those days that has been so random you aren't sure if you accomplished a lot or nothing at all.
I went with a friend to take her two toy poodles for Rabies shots in preparation of their move to Dallas in June.
I went to lunch with a friend at a Greek restaurant that has the most amazing salad known to man.
I went to Bible study for 54 minutes because that's all the time we had before rushing off to meet kids at home.
I drug Nathan on an errand to drop off paperwork and then bribed him with Starbucks to run another errand that ended up being a wild goose chase even though he busted out his Mandarin trying to assist his frustrated mother in asking for directions. I love it when he does that......purely for the expression on people's faces because it's so unexpected.
I sat down by our back fence waiting on Garrett to get home from school on the activity bus. His card to get in the gate is broken and I'm currently in negotiations with the office at our apts over whose responsibility it is to replace the key card when it no longer works. I am most definitely going to lose that argument in a passive agressive manner that people here seem to have perfected.
I went to dinner with my men to a restaurant Nathan researched online as part of his 5th grade Singapore history project. He purposefully chose a location that is now known for housing many restaurants and hosting live bands. He purposefully did not choose a museum. My DNA most definitely flows through that boy's body.
I am writing this incredibly boring blog post that has no real substanance or meaning because of a crazy 5 week/6 day challenge I clearly felt the need to begin.
I will be putting on comfy clothes and my glasses, grabbing my computer and heading to a friend's house to pull together some end of the year events before everyone disperses for the summer.
I will then fall into bed and watch the American Idol results show in 12 minutes since the results end up on my Yahoo news feed before I ever get a chance to watch. I'm still in mourning over Colten getting the boot.
As self-focused and silly as this post is, I must leave you with 3 of my favorite taxi memories from this year.
1. This happened today........a taxi where the driver watched his show more than the road. From what I could tell it was a Chinese version of CSI and we almost died running into the back of another taxi. After I picked my purse up off the floor and dug around for the change and lipstick that had fallen out when we went from 50 kmh to 0 kmh in 2 seconds, we were off again without a word being said. I guarantee I left DNA behind in that taxi.
2. The most blinged out taxi I've been in and he was super, super proud of his ride. This picture doesn't do it justice....the lights, the upholstery, the variety of candy in random plastic boxes.
3. I LOVED this guy. I have loads and loads of video of him but this is just a small snippet. I so wish I could have understood what he said because he talked and laughed for about 30 minutes before realizing I was taping him and that was the end of that.
I have nothing meaningful or deep to say except this is what Doing Life looks like around here on many a day.
I went with a friend to take her two toy poodles for Rabies shots in preparation of their move to Dallas in June.
I went to lunch with a friend at a Greek restaurant that has the most amazing salad known to man.
I went to Bible study for 54 minutes because that's all the time we had before rushing off to meet kids at home.
I drug Nathan on an errand to drop off paperwork and then bribed him with Starbucks to run another errand that ended up being a wild goose chase even though he busted out his Mandarin trying to assist his frustrated mother in asking for directions. I love it when he does that......purely for the expression on people's faces because it's so unexpected.
I sat down by our back fence waiting on Garrett to get home from school on the activity bus. His card to get in the gate is broken and I'm currently in negotiations with the office at our apts over whose responsibility it is to replace the key card when it no longer works. I am most definitely going to lose that argument in a passive agressive manner that people here seem to have perfected.
I went to dinner with my men to a restaurant Nathan researched online as part of his 5th grade Singapore history project. He purposefully chose a location that is now known for housing many restaurants and hosting live bands. He purposefully did not choose a museum. My DNA most definitely flows through that boy's body.
I am writing this incredibly boring blog post that has no real substanance or meaning because of a crazy 5 week/6 day challenge I clearly felt the need to begin.
I will be putting on comfy clothes and my glasses, grabbing my computer and heading to a friend's house to pull together some end of the year events before everyone disperses for the summer.
I will then fall into bed and watch the American Idol results show in 12 minutes since the results end up on my Yahoo news feed before I ever get a chance to watch. I'm still in mourning over Colten getting the boot.
As self-focused and silly as this post is, I must leave you with 3 of my favorite taxi memories from this year.
1. This happened today........a taxi where the driver watched his show more than the road. From what I could tell it was a Chinese version of CSI and we almost died running into the back of another taxi. After I picked my purse up off the floor and dug around for the change and lipstick that had fallen out when we went from 50 kmh to 0 kmh in 2 seconds, we were off again without a word being said. I guarantee I left DNA behind in that taxi.
2. The most blinged out taxi I've been in and he was super, super proud of his ride. This picture doesn't do it justice....the lights, the upholstery, the variety of candy in random plastic boxes.
3. I LOVED this guy. I have loads and loads of video of him but this is just a small snippet. I so wish I could have understood what he said because he talked and laughed for about 30 minutes before realizing I was taping him and that was the end of that.
I have nothing meaningful or deep to say except this is what Doing Life looks like around here on many a day.
April 26, 2012
A Muse
I am sitting here staring at a blank screen wishing this post would just write itself. I never know where to start after being absent for so long. You should see my journal. I think that one book has spanned about 5 years at this point and it's transitions are awkward and painful to read. I'm always envious of those folks that write journal after journal of their thoughts and feelings and musings.
I think you're only allowed to have musings if you journal. Or paint stuff. I've honestly never heard of an engineer who had any musings.
So here goes....in no specific order......my musings.
1. I had grandiose plans of doing another blog challenge (much like last year at this exact time) where I have to write a post every day as a way of forcing myself to chronicle this past year. I was going to start at the 8 week mark prior to our heading home to Houston. The 8 week mark came.....and then went.....and I had nothing. I couldn't start at 7 weeks because who starts anything that is 7 weeks long? I was all geared up as the 6 week mark approached....I mulled different themes around in my head and prepped myself for the challenge....and nothing.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 5 weeks and 6 days blog challenge. Yep! That's me. Always living outside the box. Not that this is a formal commitment or anything.......just making sure that's clear.
2. I had the most amazing dinner planned for tonight. One of the components was a big pot of black beans. They were perfectly seasoned and even had diced green chile in it. I went to turn on the light above my stove so you could actually see the black beans in the black pot and heard a loud POP as glass shattered all over my stove from the lightbulb blowing up. I don't know if the stove light blowing up is normal or not, but those are the kinds of questions I stopped asking many, many months ago. I honestly stood there and stared at those precious black beans and contemplated serving them to my men. Chances were pretty good there wasn't glass in those black beans sitting in a black pot and if there was any glass, I was pretty sure it was small enough to not cause any damage. Just in case you've missed it, I don't live in Texas anymore. I don't get to choose from 82 different varieties of black beans for 90 cents a can. And they had green chile in them! Alas, Scot intervened as he clearly values the health of his family over green chile.
3. I am almost giddy with the anticipation of going home this summer. A year is a very long time to go without seeing your family. Driving a car. Drinking Sonic Diet Coke with lime. Buying strawberries and gum and 82 varieties of black beans. Riding a bike. Watching TV without Chinese subtitles. Being inundated with political propaganda during an election year.
Ok, so maybe there are some things I don't miss.
4. I got to a point about 3 weeks ago where I had an epic meltdown over feeling like I was failing in every single aspect of my life. Not the kind of fail like that time I was convinced that selling Creative Memories was going to make me my first million or the kind of fail like happens exactly 4 days into a new diet. I'm talking the kind of fail where you feel like you are actually doing more damage than good. It was not fun. It's getting better.....lots of prayer and reordering of some priorities.....it's getting better.
5. I am 5 weeks and 5 days away from no longer having a kid in Elementary School. It's all puberty all the time in my house these days and boy is that a ton of fun! (Insert dripping, stinky sarcasm here)
6. I am saying good-bye to a lot of friends in the next 5 weeks and 6 days. It's the ex-pat circle of life. People come and go and the longer you are here, the more friends you make and the more likely you are to be saying good-bye. A lot. Conversations these days are all about when you're leaving for the summer, how long you'll be gone, and who is moving. Calendars fill up with going away lunches and dinners as people wonder the appropriate mourning period before picking off available helpers and cars and potted plants and appliances from those leaving.
7. Speaking of cars, in Singapore you have to buy a certificate that allows you to buy a car. It's called a COE which I think means Certificate of Entitlement. Right now, a COE will run you $90,000.00. That's right......$90,000 will buy you the privilege of buying a car. $90,000.00. Yep, you get nada, nothing, zilch for that money except the option of going out and buying a $100,000 Hyundai. I don't even have anything witty to say about that.......it's just plain 'ol crazy!
8. Almost 2 years into our Asian lives and I can say that I have mastered the squatty potty. They don't scare me or intimidate me anymore. Me and a hole in the ground? Bring. It. On.
9. Did you know that I was tall? I get told that on an almost daily basis here and I'm always thankful for the reminder. You know, in case I forget one day.
10. I am all out of musings. Done. I'm ready to curl up with some Chinese subtitles and an apple dipped in Nutella. If you've never tried it, you must! The apple and nutella part, not the Chinese subtitles.
I think you're only allowed to have musings if you journal. Or paint stuff. I've honestly never heard of an engineer who had any musings.
So here goes....in no specific order......my musings.
1. I had grandiose plans of doing another blog challenge (much like last year at this exact time) where I have to write a post every day as a way of forcing myself to chronicle this past year. I was going to start at the 8 week mark prior to our heading home to Houston. The 8 week mark came.....and then went.....and I had nothing. I couldn't start at 7 weeks because who starts anything that is 7 weeks long? I was all geared up as the 6 week mark approached....I mulled different themes around in my head and prepped myself for the challenge....and nothing.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 5 weeks and 6 days blog challenge. Yep! That's me. Always living outside the box. Not that this is a formal commitment or anything.......just making sure that's clear.
2. I had the most amazing dinner planned for tonight. One of the components was a big pot of black beans. They were perfectly seasoned and even had diced green chile in it. I went to turn on the light above my stove so you could actually see the black beans in the black pot and heard a loud POP as glass shattered all over my stove from the lightbulb blowing up. I don't know if the stove light blowing up is normal or not, but those are the kinds of questions I stopped asking many, many months ago. I honestly stood there and stared at those precious black beans and contemplated serving them to my men. Chances were pretty good there wasn't glass in those black beans sitting in a black pot and if there was any glass, I was pretty sure it was small enough to not cause any damage. Just in case you've missed it, I don't live in Texas anymore. I don't get to choose from 82 different varieties of black beans for 90 cents a can. And they had green chile in them! Alas, Scot intervened as he clearly values the health of his family over green chile.
3. I am almost giddy with the anticipation of going home this summer. A year is a very long time to go without seeing your family. Driving a car. Drinking Sonic Diet Coke with lime. Buying strawberries and gum and 82 varieties of black beans. Riding a bike. Watching TV without Chinese subtitles. Being inundated with political propaganda during an election year.
Ok, so maybe there are some things I don't miss.
4. I got to a point about 3 weeks ago where I had an epic meltdown over feeling like I was failing in every single aspect of my life. Not the kind of fail like that time I was convinced that selling Creative Memories was going to make me my first million or the kind of fail like happens exactly 4 days into a new diet. I'm talking the kind of fail where you feel like you are actually doing more damage than good. It was not fun. It's getting better.....lots of prayer and reordering of some priorities.....it's getting better.
5. I am 5 weeks and 5 days away from no longer having a kid in Elementary School. It's all puberty all the time in my house these days and boy is that a ton of fun! (Insert dripping, stinky sarcasm here)
6. I am saying good-bye to a lot of friends in the next 5 weeks and 6 days. It's the ex-pat circle of life. People come and go and the longer you are here, the more friends you make and the more likely you are to be saying good-bye. A lot. Conversations these days are all about when you're leaving for the summer, how long you'll be gone, and who is moving. Calendars fill up with going away lunches and dinners as people wonder the appropriate mourning period before picking off available helpers and cars and potted plants and appliances from those leaving.
7. Speaking of cars, in Singapore you have to buy a certificate that allows you to buy a car. It's called a COE which I think means Certificate of Entitlement. Right now, a COE will run you $90,000.00. That's right......$90,000 will buy you the privilege of buying a car. $90,000.00. Yep, you get nada, nothing, zilch for that money except the option of going out and buying a $100,000 Hyundai. I don't even have anything witty to say about that.......it's just plain 'ol crazy!
8. Almost 2 years into our Asian lives and I can say that I have mastered the squatty potty. They don't scare me or intimidate me anymore. Me and a hole in the ground? Bring. It. On.
9. Did you know that I was tall? I get told that on an almost daily basis here and I'm always thankful for the reminder. You know, in case I forget one day.
10. I am all out of musings. Done. I'm ready to curl up with some Chinese subtitles and an apple dipped in Nutella. If you've never tried it, you must! The apple and nutella part, not the Chinese subtitles.
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