SQUEEEE!

I have a follow-up interview with FMFMH tomorrow at 0830. Meanwhile, sitting in my e-mail inbox is the offer letter from PIUTW. With an offer of 2,500 more than I expected.

I AM FREAKING OUT.

Errrrg!!!

PlaceIUsedToWork seems to want me. I called up FiveMinutesFromMyHouse to let them know that I'll be getting an offer letter from PIUTW but I'd drop PIUTW in a hot New York minute if FMFMH would hire me. Pleasepleasepleaseplease I said. Well, no, actually, I didn't. But I thought it. They are going to pass the urgency up the chain and let me know.

MM and I love riding trains. Did I tell you that?

We have two zukes and several green beans a-ripening on their vines. Still no 'loupes.

Say "Hi!" to my sister, BalancingAct!

I can't wait to go up and visit again!

What he said, mark II

"I don't see why that bee had to sting me. I wasn't bothering it!"

"I'm not going to call that waterpark by it's name anymore. From now on, I'm calling it 'The Home of Bees'"

"Don't put that nasty smelly stuff on me! My stung leg will get better by itself!"

What he said

"I'm not wearing Superman on my butt! I'm wearing Superman's symbol on my butt!"

Hi Grandma!!! And interview updates

Everyone say "hi" to my Grandma who is visiting my blog for the first time!

FiveMinutesFromMyHouse went well. I reallyreallyreally hope they hire me.

SoundsLikeAMiniMarathon wasn't a good fit. Life's like that.

Mwah!

I have two, count 'em TWO interviews scheduled for tomorrow

One at 2:30 with SoundsLikeAMiniMarathon and one at 11:00 with FiveMinutesFromMyHouse! If I get that job I could bike to work! Heck, if there were more sidewalks in this suburb, I could WALK to work. Hmmm, I wonder if I know anyone in local government with enough pull to get sidewalks added? (kidding! Just kidding! Though I really do believe in the value of universal sidewalks.)

I didn't get the job

Boo.

But...I have an interview with another company on Friday and a nibble with a company FIVE MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE!

Back from my sister's!

MM and I had a wonderful time. MM caught a fish his very first time fishing. He jumped on a trampoline. Swam in my sister's pool. Fed the cats and the dog and the chickens. Politely asked the rooster to be quiet as, "everyone KNOWS it's the morning already! You told us a million times!"

I didn't wheeze. My eyes didn't swell shut or turn red or make me want to scratch them out. My tongue and throat didn't itch once. Zyrtec? Or allergies going away as mysteriously and suddenly as they appeared? I don't know, but I'm grateful.

10 hours each way on Amtrak with a six-year-old were a snap thanks to the miracle of a laptop with a DVD player. Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, Shrek, and Buzz Lightyear kept us company, with occasional breathers playing kanoodle and my travel-sized Othello. And walks to the cafe car for rations. And, of course, potty breaks.

MM would have liked to stay 10 more days, and I would have too, but I have an interview tomorrow and a meeting in Richmond Thursday.

But we're going back. And soon.

Meet Ngaio Marsh

I'm missing about four of them, which is strange, because I thought my collection was complete, but I'm guessing I loaned out some and never got them back.

Marsh, a contemporary of Christie, wrote 32 books, of which, as you see I have 28. Her books are delightful, better plotted than Christie. Well worth a read.

The first one I ever read was Death of a Dancing Footman (1947). Above, it's 5th from the left. Lovely old paperback with a heady aroma of Used Bookshop or perhaps Grandma's Attic. Delicious.

I remember the first time I read it. I was on Long Island with my grandparents in a house they were renting and I wandered into a little summer house near the vegetable garden (oh! those zukes!) and there were all these beautiful well-read vintage paperbacks. They actually had this very edition. The one I have, though, I bought at Murder Ink from a consignment of used books.

School Supplies: WTF Edition

SchoolAroundTheCorner Student Supply List 2008-2009
GRADE 1

1 doz. #2 pencils
2 lg. bar erasers
2 pkgs cap erasers
4 thin black [brandname] dry erase markers
1 pr. [brandname] 5" blunt scissors
10 lg. white glue sticks
2 boxes 16 count [brandname] crayons
1 box [brandname] colored pencils
1 box [brandname] markers
4 plain 2-pocket folders in red, blue, yellow, green
2 black marble composition books
1 box tissues
1 5x8 school box
1 roll [brandname] transparent tape (3/4")(refill - boys only)
1 box gallon-sized [brandname] freezer bags (boys only)
1 box snack-sized [brandname] freezer bags (girls only)
1 box quart-sized [brandname] freezer bags (girls only)
1 box unscented baby wipes
1 bottle [brandname] glue
1 infant sock

I was (and am) appalled, but I finally found out why they have gendered supply sheets. Kudos to the first commenter who guesses correctly. Also, kudos to first commenter to correctly guess why the kids are bringing in an infant sock.

Pictures!

Can be found here. Those arms sticking out of the front of the truck on the uppermost leftmost picture belong to MM and Me. The fellow in the suspenders in the uppermost picture third from the left is MS.

It was even funner than I expected!

I know, I know. Funner's not a word. But it was! MM and I were on the truck. I decided to forego the husband's name and just wear red and blue, since yesterday was about Obama/Warner/CongressionalCandidateWhoseNameMightGiveMeAway and not about us.

Too late did I realize that I had dressed exactly the same as Muffin Man. Red shirt, dark blue shorts for him skirt for me, white socks and sneakers. Dear Lord. But then, on the parade route, I realized that there were people much more match-y than us and they had done it on purpose. I felt much better.

MS was very dapper in modified-Southern Gentleman attire. He walked behind the truck with CongressionalCandidateWhoseNameMightGiveMeAway. And we all smiled and waved, smiled and waved.

And there were tons and tons of people with Obama shirts and Warner shirts and CongressionalCandidateWhoseNameMightGiveMeAway buttons. Far fewer McCain shirts, unfortunately far MORE CurrentCongressman shirts (people 'round here really like that schmoe) and not a single Gilmore shirt or button to be seen. Hee. I think Warner might just have it in the bag.

The Republican truck had a big elephant balloon on it. "Full of hot air as usual," said the vice-chair of our committee.

After, we had coffee and muffins on the porch of our elected representatives who lives on the parade route.

And then we went home and played 5 levels of Lego Indiana Jones.

The Fourth from a politician's wife's perspective

Tomorrow I'll be marching in the parade with the Obama section, wearing my husband's name emblazoned across my chest, holding my son's hand, and smilingsmilingsmiling.

And I'll mean it.

This country has been great and can be great again and I think Obama will help make it so.

For the past 8 years, this country has been headed by people who encouraged us to shop, fly, and drive rather than plant victory gardens, cycle, recycle, and conserve. We've had leaders who thought it more important that huge corporations get tax breaks than that children have health insurance. They've turned their backs on the suffering of flood victims and sent young men and women to die in foreign lands.

I hope that Obama will bring our young men and women back home, will face the tide of flood victims, will make sure that EVERYBODY has access to health care without having to make a choice between an electric bill and a doctor's visit. I hope that he encourages us to shop less and invest more, to buy bonds to rebuild our infrastructure (wouldn't it be great if every suburb had a subway? Wouldn't it be great if no family ever needed two cars?)

He gives me hope. I'm excited to march to support him tomorrow.

God, I hope he wins.