...because I like it better than catsup...

Life at home is good. A is doing ok with the cast. As Friedrich said the other day, it's an ok age to be dealing with the "I need help with X" issues. Some things I wish she could manage, but we'll get there. She is wounded, after all...

Got a dress for the dread wedding in NY. We (hubby, father in law, and I) were chatting about the rehearsal dinner. More fancy dress party, as my buddies in the UK would say. FIL wondered if he could wear the same suit to both. I think not, if I were a guy. Friday night is a nice dinner party, Saturday is a black tie wedding. Unless someone tells us that the Friday dinner is a black tie event, I'm not going super fancy. So, I've got two outfits, I'm good. The dress is a nice chocolate brown, with beige embroidery with a little bit of sequins. Nice, understated, dressy enough without screaming "night at the opera." So, I'll drive to Santa Barbara this week to look for shoes and such, and take the other three back. Of the four, this one fit best, but still needs alterations. I'm just too short waisted for the rest of the universe, and contrary to popular opinion, not everyone who's a size XX has a huge chest. Mine is average, which means most of the dresses hung too low... one them being a v that nearly reached my waist! ACK. And no, I really didn't have a choice on necklines. V neck seems to be "the thing" at the moment. The dress that fits is a cowl neck... which is really a droopy V neck, but hey... *LOL*

In other news, I'm headed to the ceramics studio as soon as I finish this... need to start throwing my required pieces for the semester. One plate, one bowl, one cup, one vase... and he's talking about something with a lid. ACK. Oh, and then we have the pieces we cast, and the ones we're to build from extruded bits... I haven't totaled up how many altogether. All I know is, I'd better get cracking. Thus far, I've got one piece fired, and waiting for glaze. I'm still waiting for my sample tiles to get fired - maybe they'll be done when I get there today? Once I know what they're going to fire out like, then I can glaze the bisque I've got done, and go from there... I just don't want to get behind, because you can only rush this stuff so much...

The short version:
A has a broken arm. We went skating at the roller rink, and she fell. I just thought she'd whacked her "funny bone." Not funny. She's being a trooper, and for the fact that it's broken right at the elbow, she's handling it well. Took until this afternoon to find out, so no cast yet. We're waiting to get into the orthopedist, since the pediatrician is very concerned that it's right on the growth plate. Weeeeee...

So, when we get the cast (which I hope they can get done TOMORROW, but will probably have to wait until at least Wednesday, at this freaking rate), it'll be one of those armpit to wrist jobs. No climbing trees for her for quite a while, and she'll be the kid with the sling for a while, as well. He said probably 6 weeks, minimum, since it's in such a tough spot. I'll be lining people up to sign this thing, so all you artistic types, feel free to grab a pen and visit at October Crown. We're skipping the pirate event we were supposed to hit this weekend, just to be on the safe side. Camping with a new cast doesn't sound good to us... GWW, she can stay at Grandma and Grandpa's house, where they have AC, and a real bed...

1) Child has started kindergarten. Today is the first day. "Orientation" for parents consisted of "Here, fill out this form, and this one!" Never mind that we'd filled them out before. Do it again.

Lesson learned - no matter how many times you've filled out said form, you're going to have to do it again. The school does not believe in photocopying the previous form, and doesn't know where it is, anyway. Oh, and the emergency form MUST be written in pencil because "if the info changes, we can just erase and write in the new." That's presuming that they HAVE that form for you to fix... otherwise, it's fill out a new one. See the trend? Our tax dollars at work, folks!

2) Father in law is doing REALLY well. So well, we had to discuss why he's still staying at our house this week, when he wanted to go home. It came down to "You're still not allowed to drive, per doctor's orders. If I let you go home, you'll get bored, and not want to call us to drive you places, and will proceed to break the doctor's orders, and drive anyway." *LOL* He didn't argue my logic, either. He's not happy - he feels like he's "being a burden" which is and isn't true, but the bottom line is, he's family, he needs us, and we're happy to do it. He'll get his "release papers" from our little outpatient care facility next weekend.
He went to work for the first time today (no worries, it's a desk job), with his son, so we'll see how it goes. I expect that, even if he gets tired, he'll stick it out. He's that way. He's been working out of our house since he got home...

Lesson learned - being up front with why you won't turn him lose is worth laughs for all concerned, and makes the patient more willing to stay put! *LOL*

3) Friends coming to visit for Labor Day weekend. ldyanna and family will be headed down to get their daughter moved for school. Should be good. More time to hang out and plan how we'll take over the world! *LOL* Hey, maybe we can cook some period food to feed the gang...

Lesson learned - some people are so worth the effort it takes to be their friend! So what, they live the other end of the state! *LOL* I may need to take a drive up that way for some R&R this fall... More time to hang out and goof off.

Started my ceramics class last night. Looks like a good bunch of folks - it's actually two classes taught in the same class period, so we've got folks with varying levels of experience. Our group got the fun task of starting the process to recycle used clay. In other words, take this messy clay glop, and spread it on these plaster slabs to dry, then we'll be beating it back into shape. *LOL* I'd done it before so I knew what to expect - mess, and dirty clothes.

Speaking of clothes, I need to finish sorting through A's clothes this week to get her ready for school. We have to pull out all the stuff that doesn't fit, and sort the worn stuff into the "play clothes" pile. Call VTC so they can pick up any donations we have in the next couple weeks - toys included. I've been trying to get to this for ages, and now it looks like it will just have to be my gig, sorting through the toys and giving a good quantity of them away. She's got WAY too many.

That also makes me think of the Toys for Tots challenge going on in the kingdom - I still have never seen what the rules are for those of us out in the hinterlands that aren't in a principality. I guess I'll just have to ask the PTB where to turn them in... Maybe I can drag them to October Crown or something...

Last, but not least, I've got an appointment with the endocrinologist today. We'll see what he has to say. He probably won't be thrilled with me. I haven't been tracing my blood sugar, and he didn't order any tests for it, either. Just another hormone test. We'll see if he even has the results by the time I get there. They didn't send them in time last appointment. *sigh* What I would give to not have to see doctors several times a year...

Title says it all. I've got A and her grandfather here at the house, for a week. A starts kindergarten next Monday, and we're still sorting out when her grandpa can move back to his house. The doctor originally told us he needed to stay with us two weeks... he only wants to be here until next weekend, from the noises he's making. We're asking him to stay longer, since he can't drive, and he needs someone around to help keep him toeing the line, taking all his medication and doing the breathing stuff, etc. *sigh* So, more cooking, washing, etc. to keep the troops happy.

Meanwhile, after loosing my temper with the last rant (which has been met with a resounding silence on here *LOL*), I decided to not beat around the bush, and just go straight to the source, now, and not wait until we see each other at an event. I asked politely for the other party to explain what happened. We'll see if I get an answer (via email). I can't change what's gone on, but maybe I can learn something from the discussion. I would really like to be wrong about what went on... it would make me feel perhaps a bit less jaded, to be wrong...

Git 'er done is what I need to stick to - to just get things sorted and out of the way. My life is too busy to let things sit for long, in the SCA, or otherwise. I'm also starting back to ceramics class tonight, and that's going to take time to deal with, too. I have to be there by 6:30, so I have to feed the family and get out the door by 6, so I can make it through the parking and find a seat in class by 6:30. I've got to get a locker lined up tonight, too...

Finally made it home. Stopped over in Bakersfield yesterday to pick up my little girl, and chat with my dad, who's birthday it was. Had a good visit, some good meals (not hospital food or fast food or hotel room service food), and then finally headed home this afternoon. To show how slow I was getting from there to here, my husband beat me home... *LOL*

He came home with more good news about his dad - he's out of ICU, had some more pieces of equipment removed, and is mending quite nicely. The doctors are pleased, he's very happy to be in a room with less racket going on, and he is progressing as he should be. We'll see when I have to go back to LA to help bring him home. The drive home will be interesting - we have to stop every 45 minutes or less, get him out of the car, make him walk around and drink water. All of this to combat potential blood clots and subsequent DVT, etc... So, I'm going to have to map out interesting, safe, and convenient places to stop along the way home. We should be ok, other than one stretch I can think of on 101 where there just isn't much... We'll sort it out. At least it's not a horribly long drive to start with...

Ok, enough out of me. Time for bed, in MY bed, not a hotel or my parents (who have SIGNIFICANTLY increased the comfort level of their guest bed, which used to resemble a slab at the morgue, by adding a memory foam topper *serious happy dance*), and then tomorrow starts getting the house ready to bring the mending father in law home to live with us for a little while...

The very short version, since I don't know if anyone read the last entry...
Yes, he had surgery. Double bypass. Yes, he's fine. We're going to be home briefly this week, then head back to LA to pick him up when they're ready to release him. He'll be at our house for at least two weeks, and then home. He'll need a driver for at least a month - no driving himself for that long. There are a lot of other things I could write about, but I don't want to bore people.

Some thoughts:
No matter how bad it was, there is always someone dealing with worse. We met a family who had a 4 month old little girl in the same cardiac ICU as my father in law. If she lasts another 24 hours, it will be a miracle. I want to cry just thinking about it...

Family under stress is just ugly...

Please, no one make me move to LA. I would wind up in jail... can no one drive?

Also, do not stay at the Hyatt in Century Plaza, unless you are part of whatever "special event" happens to be going on there... Or, you feel like throwing away money by the fistful, and having people keep you up day and night with the noise...

We're going to LA tonight. Should hear in a matter of hours if my father in law is having surgery for sure, but it looks likely. Wish him well, and we'll probably come home on Sunday... if someone has to stay down there longer, for some reason, we'll sort it out...

1) still sick, but finally feeling more human. I dread the day that the steroids can't make a dent in it. It will probably wind up being hospital time for me when that happens.

2) speaking of hospitals, my father in law is back in one. He went in for some pretty serious testing on his heart, and they've found some things that they'd like to fix. The question is, is the risk to his health from the surgery worth the potential benefits from the surgery? He's got to make the choice. If he goes in, he'll be down in UCLA medical center, and our family will be headed down there to be with him. He's been through so much in the past few years, it just amazes me he has a good attitude about it all. Spare a good thought for him - we're not ready for him to leave us, and he's nearly done it twice already...

3) speaking of family, I've been doing genealogy stuff. My family history is amusing to me. Lots of things that the family has told me over the years, I'm having a hard time proving by the records. Weird. I wonder how much of this stuff is right, and just not IN the records, and how much of it is just fancy? Some of it is quite funny... Bottom line is, I've managed to trace my family roots farther back that I imagined I would (although the accuracy of those records as you get farther back gets questionable), and I'm having some luck with my husband's family, as well, despite their family being even harder to track down than mine, since they're more recent immigrants. Yes, you'd think this would make it easier, but it's not the case. *sigh* I can't even get some of their names straight, since the family isn't sure... Oh well. I know I can get the Greek records from the church in Greece eventually. The rest - German, Serbian and Polish - that's probably not going to happen. Too many wars, too many records lost to time... unless I can get a real find, I'm probably about as far with that as I'm going to get. At least Autumn will know WAY more about her family than I did until I started digging.

4) motivation - man, where do I buy me some of that? I've been seriously slacking. All I've done is sit at this computer, play games and dig through old records. I need something to get my blood moving, something to excite my passion. Anything involving breathing is sort of not on my list, so what can I dig into that's going to get me pumped?