Busy Signal

I'm working six, sometimes seven, days a week right now. The grant that funded my original job is drawing to a close and I still have a lot of loose ends. So here's a lazy update of some things in my life:

• I'm really going to go to Las Vegas with my friend from high school, Becky Two, and four of her friends. This is going to be a crazy busy weekend at my job and I've been thinking that the responsible think to do would be to stay home and work. But as of today I have a plane ticket, so I'm going. I'm also taking an extra day off to hit the hair salon and then drive to Bend, since my early morning flight was a two-person deal out of the Redmond airport.

• I needed a cute dress for both our fundraiser at work and my trip to Vegas, so I bought a sweet little black number at Macy's, with The Star's approval. She's much better at choosing for me than I am. But my new dress is sleeveless, so I'm madly knitting a shrug (from this free pattern) to wear with it. The fundraiser is Saturday and I'm about 3/4 finished.

• The Artist is finally getting some help with his mental health. I've long thought that he was diagnosable, perhaps bi-polar. He's seeing a counselor at his school weekly and has taken the first step towards medication by seeing a psychiatrist. These things are not easy when you've had a lifelong fear of doctors and no health insurance, but I hope that he will feel better soon.

• Both kids got to attend summer camp this year, for the first time ever. The Star went to a two week teen writing and art program at Marylhurst University. Getting her all the way to West Linn (as far south of Portland as we are north) each day was an issue, but we were able to ride share with another Vancouver family who brought her home. This was during the Portland Heat Wave of 2009, when we had record high temperatures, so she spent her days in the air conditioned school buildings and was driven home in an air conditioned Cadillac Escalade. Plush.

• The Magician participated in Project Youth Doc, a four week documentary film program. Again, not in Vancouver. Each day we'd drive him across the river to Oregon to the closest light rail station. He'd take the light rail to his program at the Hollywood Theatre and then I'd pick him up at the station again, sitting in the rush hour traffic for 30 minutes to get the 3 miles back home. I'm looking forward to the premier of his film, The H Word, on Friday. Hopefully it will get posted on YouTube, so that I can share it with you.

• The Artist found something online called "100 Things in 100 Days" (no link, since I can't find what he read) that challenges you to discard stuff. I tried to make up one better--"8 Things a Week." The first week went great and I tossed a bunch of stuff that I'd been carrying around in the trunk of my car, such as our useless 2001 iMac and all my plastic knitting needles. I have a lot more stuff that I can live without, but lately seem to only be adding to the "want" list. One of the top things on that list: a new MacBook. Mine is completely dead. It's probably the power supply, since it hasn't recharged properly since I got it a few years ago. It was my dad's and he gave it to me, not out of the goodness of his heart, but as an excuse to get himself a new one.

• My credit counselor says that if I pay off my debts in the next few months (a good bet thanks to my good fortune), then I should be eligible to buy a house next summer. I've never been fond of renting and would much rather have my own house. It's been six years since we sold the house in Canada, so I qualify as a "first time homebuyer" again. Let's hope the $8000 credit is renewed for 2010!

• I bought a pair of running shoes and haven't been for a run, or even a walk, for about a month. I'm exhausted by long days at work and difficulties at home. The Artist has been walking the dog every morning at 6am, but I'm no longer walking with him then or in the evening.

• I met one of my blog heroes this past week: Danny Evans from Dad Gone Mad. He was funny in person, too. I went out for drinks after his reading at Powell's City of Books and spent much of my evening talking with a cool couple who are both middle school language arts teachers. Now that's got to be a hard job.