Pi Girl

It’s always good to declare you’re making a triumphant return to blogging and then not blog anything. Maybe next time I’ll make sure I have a list of blogging topics nearby so I don’t make the effort all for nothing.

In my defense, I wrote my last post while bored out of my mind watchng Mumsy get her chemo. And since I normally don’t get the thrilling job of sitting in a metal folding chair for 8 hours watching medicine drip, it might be a while before I have so much free time and inspiration.

This might be a good time to discuss how awesome my brother is for taking on the role of medicine-watcher and caregiver since this whole thing started. I just show up for weekend relief when I can. I’m not there every day and every night. I’m not going to endless amounts of doctors’ appointments and keeping track of which medications need to be taken when and then also making sure all the normal day-to-day stuff like cleaning and laundry are getting done.

Jim doesn’t like getting the kudos because he feels like people are surprised that he would help at all and does not like those “low expectations” placed on him. But the thing is that anyone taking care of a loved one who has just been through surgery and is fighting cancer seriously deserves a medal. And I guess when I see it all first hand, I feel guilty I’m not there more often and I am soooo grateful I have him to count on.

I’m back …. maybe!

I keep putting off updating this blog because I haven’t really decided what to do with just yet. I know I should just leave it with, sorry, I’m closed, here are some old entries, find me on Facebook and be done with it. But every once in a great while, I miss the blogging. There are some fun stories out there that are way too long for 140 characters.

And I know I have family members who haven’t entered the fun world of social networking so this was how they caught up with my life. Before I would have chastised them to get with the times. But I have since learned that not everyone can handle how to communicate via social media and maybe they should just stay away. Far, far away. So if they don’t join, that is really very ok with me.

Anyway, I’ve attempted a few “Closing up shop” blog posts and every time, I find myself missing the blogging and change my mind. Then I realize I should post a “Hi, I’m back” post and then actually post on a regular basis. Apparently, that was too much of a commitment for me to make. So, here we are.

There are a lot of reasons I stopped blogging. Mostly, my life got a little too hard and filled with things I was not comfortable posting here and it was difficult to discuss anything without referencing those events.

In an effort to out-whine Job, my family and I have been through everything in a 14-month period: a fire, moving (twice), separation, unemployment, surgery, death, cancer, more surgery, more death and chemo. But in my ever-so-optimistic way, we’ve also seen growth (as in learning, not a tumor), reunions, recovery, healing, better job opportunities, and determination to keep fighting no matter what. I can also say my family is a lot stronger and closer now than it was before and for that, I am extremely grateful.

I’m not 100% sure how regular I’ll be back here but here’s what you need to know about me that I may or may not be discussing:

- I had weight loss surgery last summer, the RNY gastric bypass to be exact. I’ve lost over 100 lb. and I have a long way to go but I’m very proud of what I have accomplished. I won’t discuss my entire journey here but I will discuss it and am more comfortable telling people I’ve had it. In other words, if you want advice, email me.

- I have a fantastic, new job that I started last year. I will probably plug our new projects here from time to time because I believe in what we’re doing. I like having a job with a cause. Go tourism. Oh, and take your next vacation in Corning and the Finger Lakes.

- My mom is fighting breast cancer. She is currently undergoing chemo and is a total trooper in this fight. Her new online moniker is Dr. Evil Frankenbarbie. Her name changes often depending on which symptoms are hitting her when so good luck keeping up with that.

Let’s see where this thing takes us …

No matter what the outcome, today will be a very historic day. Don’t miss your chance to tell your grandkids your active role (that means you voted!) in the election of the first _some category that is not a middle-aged white man_ President/Vice-President.

And if you have voted, sit back, relax and while you’re waiting for the special Indecision ‘08 coverage to start on Comedy Central, watch this clip from the Simpsons’ Halloween special.

I think I’m ready end my blogging hiatus. If only to give myself something to do for a while. In the meantime, here’s something I bet I could have done if I had applied myself and not wasted so much time trying to get a job. What was I thinking?

We finally got the wedding photos up from Janice and Serkan’s wedding reception. Check out the gallery. Jason did a nice job, especially capturing those “moments.” I think my favorite ones are all of the ones with Janice and her maid of honor, Jen. But these 2 photos were the absolute best of the bunch. They just say so much.

Technically, Janice and Serkan were married in December of 2006. Or April 2007 if you’re Turkish and got to go to the first celebration. But we finally got to celebrate here in the States on Saturday. Jason has the photos and I have no idea what they look like but if they’re good, I’ll post a gallery. I danced to an interesting mix of music, drank lots of wine and managed to not get any of the chocolate fountain on my dress. And it was so nice to see the Ithaca group again, I don’t get to see them nearly enough.

So, last night was the Emmys. And the only really enjoyable parts were Ricky Gervais, Stephan Colbert and Jon Stewart. Oh, and this brilliant piece. It’s not so much that I think a medley of 30 tv theme songs needs to be done or is all that great itself. But it makes me think I should move Josh Groban higher on my list of awesome people. After all, he did that Jimmy Kimmel bit.

Why I will never be bored with my darling hubby:

Erin: I’m going to Wegmans later. Do you need anything?
Jason: Yes. I’m out of shampoo.
Erin: Do you like what you were using or do you want to try something different?
Jason: I didn’t really like it. Get me some dandruff shampoo. But make sure it’s the manly kind.
Erin: Well, that kind was for men. I can try another brand.
Jason: Yeah, get me something that smells good and fruity. Maybe mango or coconut. As long as it’s the dandruff kind.
Erin: Uh…the fruity kind is “manly”?
Jason: Ok, so I changed my mind.

Wow, it’s been a while. Sorry about that. It’s not that I’ve been all that busy, I guess it was more that I didn’t have much to say. I’m looking for work. I’m enjoying a long vacation.

While I don’t entirely mind being home all day, I feel a little lost. I can’t exactly make permanent plans like volunteering or joining some group because I will get a job at some point. And it will make me busy again. And I’m fairly certain I will be moving which will take me away from whatever it is.

So, I watch a lot of tv, catch up on chores and doctor’s appointments and make a ton of plans to keep me out of the house.

The fun part is I’ve been able to play with alot of friends on their vacations: I’ve been to the lake with Jen and Amber, to see the Northern Blend rehearsal in Watertown with Sandy, to the Bay with Jason and the in-laws, to Maryland to see Janice’s new digs, anywhere and everywhere around town with Michelle.

I do have some interviews lined up. I hope they’re the right opportunities and pray I’ll find something before my severance runs out. And while I’m excited about those opportunities, I feel bad whenever one of my local friends asks how the job hunt is doing, and I have to report that no local companies are calling me back, just the ones too far away for me to stay here. And I have to lump Jason into that local friends category because I know he really likes his job here. But unless I win the lottery, we can’t really sustain ourselves on a newspaper photographer’s salary alone.

So, I guess to sum up my life in a nutshell at the moment, I’m relaxing and de-stressing, but my life’s in limbo while I try to impress potential employers which is kind of stressing me out, especially since it might mean that I have to disappoint some friends when I do find something (and I WILL find something), which has me bummed. But hey, I’m getting a lot of sleep now.

Another NASCAR weekend has gone by at Watkins Glen. Seeing how I am no longer in the news business, I managed to not hear about any of the race until my mother mentioned there was some big crash. She claims she only watched it to see if she could see Jason there.

However, I did work up at the Glen for my Crystal Chords Friday and Saturday selling t-shirts to rabid fans. Have I mentioned how much I love my Crystal Chords?

It’s gotten to the point where I am no longer surprised that every single person (minus the kids who are the only ones with any sense whatsoever) is drunk and holding a beer in their hands at all times. Or that women with boobs bigger than D cups are walking around braless (it’s still gross, I’m just not surprised). Or that a bunch of guys are walking around in afro wigs stopping every 20 seconds to chant about their favorite driver.

But there are those idiots I need to have a talking to. You might argue that because they’re all drunk, reasoning with them won’t work. However, when most of the drunks are walking around with their beers in coozies to keep them cold, I tend to think there’s some sanity tucked away somewhere. So, I offer some advice you may want to tuck away for next year.

1. Put some shoes on. I don’t care if you’re so drunk you can’t feel the rocks, glass and burning tar from the sun that you’re walking on. You probably also can’t feel all the blood rushing from your cuts either. If you thought to put shorts on, you make the extra effort to throw on some flip-flops.

2. If you’re going to make a motorized cooler, ride it! You are easily the biggest dumbass in all of the NASCAR events at Watkins Glen I have seen over the last 8 years. I get that you are just so inventive creating a wagony type contraption that is hooked up to a lawnmower motor. And look, you can keep your cooler on there. However, what is the point of this contraption if you’re just going to pull the wagon around, exerting more effort than if it was just a roller-cooler. You put a seat on there, clearly it was meant to give rest to your weary feet. If that’s not why it was created, then I blame you, and you alone, for the crappy state our environment is in.

3. Listen to your children. For one thing, you haven’t completely corrupted them yet so you should enjoy every bonding moment you can with them. For another thing, they do not want to get caught in the next severe thunderstorm that brings hail without rain gear. Again. Just because the sun is out now does not mean it will stay like that. I know because I have the iPhone with the doppler radar so I can tell you exactly when it’s coming. So if your kid is begging you to be practical and buy the $4.50 poncho, put down the hoochie shirt you were going to buy for your mistress and get him the poncho.

4. Only buy t-shirts from the nice ladies in the Crystal Chords shirts. They want you to enjoy your NASCAR experience. And if they say it can only be enjoyed with 20 $6 t-shirts, you should listen to them. And then visit them again next year.

So if you only get your Erin info from this blog or Facebook or Twitter, you may have noticed I’ve been hinting at some news. I was hoping I could tell you a good story with a happy ending but I learned yesterday it was not to be. Not that it won’t eventually have a happy ending but this story will just go on a little longer than I thought.

Three weeks ago, I lost my job. My department’s services were consolidated which means my position and my staff’s positions were eliminated. They asked me to consider a position in Rochester, which I did and interviewed there. It sounded too good to be true and it was; it didn’t work out.

It sucks. And that’s all I’m going to say about it here on the blog. Jason still has a job there and I don’t believe he will also be laid off anytime soon. So, I’m going to ask that if any of you were thinking about bashing the company in my comments, please don’t. I may not be employed there anymore but they were good to me and I gained a ton of experience with them that I will take with me.

In the meantime, I have to find a job. On the one hand, I like that I get a chance to start over somewhere and not have to do things I didn’t like about my old job. But on the other hand, it’s almost too much because I could go in so many directions. And moving is definitely on the table so there are more options and expenses and what ifs to think about.

So, if you happen to hear about any job openings in a town near you for a computer whiz who loves to play with reports and numbers, knows some web development stuff and has managerial experience, hook me up. And if they also have openings for a photographer/videographer/journalist/substitute teacher/brilliant idea guy, that would be a plus.