I'm a winner!

I'm not going to lie.

I've always been a little jealous of those blog awards that people hand out to each other here on the interwebs. Sure, I know I update my blog rarely/never/only when something bad happens, but still. I wanted one.

I've never been much of an award-winner or a trophy-getter. I didn't play any sports as a kid (shocking, I know), so I didn't have any trophies from my extra-curricular activities (funny, they don't hand anything out for being a highly-dramatic theater geek - unless you get a Tony.). Back in ye olden newspaper reporter days, I did win a Society of Professional Journalists award for an article I wrote about raunchy rock lyrics (this was back in the late '90s - a whole MILLENIUM ago). I won first place and everything. (Yes, it is surprising to know that someone used to pay me for this writing stuff. Can you imagine?) But that was a long time ago. Where's my validation now?

WELL. Imagine my delight when I received that shiny happy Proximity Award up there at the top. En Espanol, even!

The lovely and talented Bridget over at Yellaphant betowed this award on me. And since it happens to be en Espanol, let me explain what it is: This award is for blogs which "...invest and believe in Proximity; Nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and to be friends. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to 8 bloggers, who must then chose 8 more and include this text into the body of their award."

So, I mean. DUH. I think any blog that, in ever other entry, talks about sickness and puke and how miserable they are is obviously CHARMING. But it's true, I do aim to find and be friends. The other day, when I was puking (here I go again) and lying half-dead on my couch, I was watching a commercial for something like Diet Coke. And in the commercial, a group of friends were hanging out and having fun. And I had a true, real reaction to that commercial, and that reaction was: jealousy. I miss having fun and hanging out with my friends. When one has children, one is confined to the house after 7 p.m. on most days. So the lesson you can learn from my blog, dear internet friends is: BIRTH CONTROL.

I kid, of course. But now I have to bestow this fine award to eight other people! And since the meaning of the award is a little confusing to me, I am going to give it to a combo of eight people who are actual friends in real life, and people who I feel like are my friends because I read their blogs all the time, and they write in such a friendly way, usually with swears and stuff. However, there are rules. You have to update your blog more than once a month. Even I do that. So, I'm sorry, you and you. Consider this tough love. And the nominees are:

Yellaphant - Obviously. I love Bridget's blog because she is a young person doing what young people do - namely, drinking beer and having fun, and going out, and doing the things I miss doing while I'm catching puke in my hands (not fun hangover puke, either). She reminds me of the me I used to be, and the me I hope to be again when I can rally some babysitters. Also, she's a dog person.

Artsy Fartsy - This is my real-life friend Lisa - but here's the thing. I used to work with Lisa, and she was nice, but kind of quiet, and shy, and we had to force her to go out and do things with us. And now! Look at her! Queen of the snark on her blog, and ridiculously talented in so many ways. I would say she's my most multi-talented friend.

I'm Alan, Eh? - I know Alan changed the title of his blog to something more Canadian, but it's weird and I liked his other name better. Alan is also a real-life friend and my number-one email buddy. He gets to hear what I have for lunch every day, and all of the other minutiae of my life. He also likes birds and outer space and stuff. He's a theater nerd like me.

Days with Dylan - As you have heard many times, when I was pregnant with Jane I had a blood test that indicated she might have Down syndrome. That turned out not to be the case, but in doing my research before I found out for sure, I found many wonderfully-written blogs by parents with children who have Ds. Laurie at Days with Dylan is one of them. I love keeping up to date with the freaking ADORABLE Dylan, who underwent successful heart surgery last fall and is doing great.

Baby on Bored - This blog is written by the insanely funny Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, who wrote the hilarious books Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay and Naptime is the New Happy Hour. She has a gorgeous toddler and one-year-old twins, and somehow manages to write weekly updates on her thoughts on The Bachelor and American Idol. She has commented on my blog a couple of times, and I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty giddy - a celebrity commentator!

The New Girl - Alright, I am relatively new to reading this blog, but I was actually going to write an entry about this post she wrote recently. You know, when I link to something and act like it's a valid entry of my own? Yeah. Anyway, when I read this, it felt like she was in my head. (SCARY FOR HER.)

I'm Laughing Inside - This is a real-life friend, Audrey, who started blogging again last month. I am hoping this fabulous award will encourage her to keep blogging, and posting funny pictures of Shane.

Boho Girl - I got sucked into this blog for an entire day once. Denise writes in such a personal, reflective, CALM way, it made me wish I was her. Her positive, cool, laid-back vibe positively radiates from her blog, and she also lives in Southern California, which automatically makes her cooler and smarter than me. And her newly-adopted son Cedar is delicious.

So there you have it! I'd like to thank all of the daycare germs which keep my blog full of exciting stories about the common cold. The end.

why health insurance is a good thing

Over the past week:

Head cold: Jane, Greg, me
Fever: Jane, me
Stomach bug: Jane, me
Ear infection: Greg, possibly Jane
On antibiotics: Greg, Jane
Feels like truck has run over: Jane, Greg, me
Number of weekends in a row that have been ruined due to illness: Five (and counting)

Welcome to my house! Please wear a haz-mat suit.

and now, a little levity

So, everyone and their brother reads Dooce, right? Well, she challenged her readers to answer the questions in this meme that she posted on her blog. Here are my answers, and here's your chance to learn a little more about Greg!

What are your middle names? I was not given a middle name, so I gave myself one, when I got married. It's my maiden name. Greg's middle name is David.

How long have you been together? We've been together for 7 years, 4 months.

How long did you know each other before you started dating? Zero amount of time.

Who asked whom out? We met on a blind date. I met his friend at my 10 year high school reunion. I had just broken up with someone, so I went alone. I had several cocktails, as one does when one is reunited with people they used to share high school hallways with, so I was in a festive mood. Greg's friend was dating an old friend of mine from school, and we got to talking. His friend asked if I was single, because if I was, he had the perfect guy for me. That guy turned out to be Greg, who called me a few days later. Now I think about it, he really had to have some cojones to do that. Would you call someone out of the blue, based on the recommendation of a friend? Good thing his friend had such exquisite taste. Anyway, we made plans to meet when he called.

How old are each of you? I am 35; Greg is 36.

Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine, because he is an only child.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? The work/life/kid balance. Yup, 18 months in, and we'll still figuring this out. We are both working particularly hard at our jobs, and we have a child who tends to pick up every bug at daycare (perhaps I've blogged about that once or twice), so our wicks are fairly short during these looong winter months - especially because it seems that at least once a week, one of us has to stay home with Jane because she's not well.

Did you go to the same school? Nope.

Are you from the same home town? Nope.

Who is smarter? I am smarter socially; Greg is probably more book-smart.

Who is the most sensitive? That would be me. What? Why are you looking at me like that? Are you mad at me?

Where do you eat out most as a couple? I am not even going to be embarrassed about it. Chili's. Fine. There. I said it.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hawaii.

Who has the craziest exes? I don't think we have crazy exes. No one has haunted us.

Who has the worst temper? It really depends on the day and who got the least amount of sleep. Since that's usually me - probably me. I try to keep it in check as much as I can.

Who does the cooking? If we're having any sort of real, non-microwaved, non-heated up meal, the answer would be Greg.

Who is the neat-freak? I don't know that either one of us is a neat-freak, but I am definitely more obsessive in this regard, especially since we had Jane.

Who is more stubborn? I have to say I don't think either one of us is particularly stubborn. Except for me.

Who hogs the bed? Jimmy. Seriously. Somehow that 30-lb dog takes up 95% of the king sized bed we have.

Who wakes up earlier? I do. I wake up at 5:04 every morning.

Where was your first date? We met for our blind date at a place called Joe's American Bar and Grill - it doesn't exist anymore.

Who is more jealous? I used to be very jealous. Now I'm way too tired to be jealous. Actually, it was just that typical, beginning-of-the-relationship nerves; after about a year together, I was much more secure. OK, maybe two years.

How long did it take to get serious? We had some growing pains about 6 months in - so things were pretty serious by that point.

Who eats more? Greg eats more, but I probably could if I wanted to.

Who does the laundry? I do.

Who's better with the computer? Neither one of us are computer genuises.

Who drives when you are together? We split it pretty evenly. Maybe Greg drives a little more, but not that much more.

Feel free to answer some or all of the same questions about your significant other in the comments, or leave a link to your website if you prefer answering there.

not so much

So, about 15 minutes ago, you'll see that over there on the right, I Twittered about having seen a robin, and how I thought maybe that was good luck.

And then Jane puked all over the place.

No so much with the good luck, then, huh?

This has been several weeks of sickness. Ear infection, stomach bug, cold, stomach bug. Throw a couple of ri-donk-ulously busy work weeks in there as well, and you've got a cocktail for my own personal brand of hell.

photo love

Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day -whatever it means to you.

(please ignore the lovely sheets on our couches. this is what you must do when you have two slobbery dogs.)

long ago and far away

Ten years ago this week, I left for a trip to Ireland with three of my theater friends. We were going in honor of my friend's 30th birthday, and we basically covered the country in six days. It was phenomenal. But this isn't about that.

I have had an image stuck in my head for the past couple of days. It's from when I was leaving my parents' house (that was where my friends were picking me up for the trip). I remember as we were pulling out of the driveway, my Mom, Dad, and niece Samantha were waving goodbye. My niece was only three at the time; just a baby, really.

I didn't know then that just over a year later, I would say goodbye to my Dad for good.

This time of year can be so difficult for me, even nine years after he died (February 22nd is the nine-year anniversary). Even after so much time, the sad moments - the ones that really stop me in my tracks - crop up out of nowhere. And usually they are insignifcant, like the one where they were waving goodbye as I left for my big trip.

I feel about 100 years older now; my life has changed so much, and when I think of that girl getting in the car, she seems like a kid version of myself, even though I was 25 and gainfully employed. But over the next two years, my life would feel like a punching bag, getting socked over and over with bad news. Those years -from 26-28 - affected me the most out of any others in my life. They made me weaker, stronger, and much more adult (although many times it doesn't seem that way).

I just wish he could have seen me now.

we interrupt my regularly scheduled whining to address something actually important

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

I copped this from Bridget's blog, but it was too good not to.

WOE.

Good Lord, I just re-read my last post, and can't stand how woe-is-me it all is. Sheesh. Get over yourself, woman! Delete, delete!

stuck.

I feel very stuck these days - very empty of blog fodder. My days are very much the same, one after the other, these days, and I'm pretty sure no one wants to hear me complain about Jane being sick, or me being tired, or my lack of weight loss despite the fact that I've been pretty good about doing the 30 Day Shred. Every time I log on to write a new post, I feel like I'm just bitching about the same thing. I promise to try to come up with some good stuff to write about soon.

But right now I'm tired. Tired because Junior decided, at about 2 a.m., that he was going to batshit crazy when he saw a family of deer outside. Do you know what it feels like to be woken up by a batshit crazy Great Dane? Then for the rest of the night, Jimmy decided that his ear was bothering him, and kept scratching at it, and the jingle-jangle of his collar kept me up as well.

I will leave you with the fact that I am so happy Jane seems to be feeling better (KNOCK ON WOOD WHAT AM I CRAZY FOR SAYING THAT YES I AM). She's so freakin' cute these days, I can't stand it. Her version of a cat meowing is reason to get up in the morning, I swear.

how is it only tuesday?

A rant:

Jane has been pukey sick since Sunday. Greg and I have had to juggle like nobody's business to have coverage at home and both get the work done that we need to get done. Doesn't help that this is an extremely busy work week for me. Also - I don't like when I'm puked upon repeatedly.

I also have some weird bump (cyst? deadly cyst? something that will kill me?) on my hand, under the skin, below my middle finger, that's freaking me the hell out. I just noticed it on Friday. I went to the walk -n on Saturday, they did an x-ray, and said it was a bone cyst. I don't believe them, because Dr. Google tells me a bone cyst is a cavity within the bone - not a bump on the bone. SO, that's fun. Back to the doctor next week. No time this week.

Also, snow. WTF, snow? I hate it so much, with the power of a thousand firey suns, I HATE IT. I am so ready for summer. I will never complain about the heat again, so help me God, I swear it - even if I have the rays of a thousand firey suns BEAMING RIGHT ON ME.

I feel: frustrated, miserable, tired, like a bad mother, like a bad employee, like a selfish, sucky, naggy, uggghh bleeecchhhh blah blah blah.

Aren't you glad you asked? Oh wait - you didn't.