Skipping Town

Today was a day off for me and the kids. It was also the day the electricians were here to move an electrical box from the kitchen to the basement. This meant power to a large portion of the house would be shut off, and the entire basement kitchen would be emptied so the new box could go into the closet with the HVAC. Greta was valiantly trying to hand-sew since the sewing machine was not working, and I was trying to clean up my office in uncomfortable dimness. Once Lucia woke up, we decided to just leave the house. We started off with pastries and coffees at Paris Baguette in Shadyside, finding some seats by the front window, and hung out there for a while. After a quick browse at Kards Unlimited, we drove to Target, where the kids were struck by the weird cuteness (?) of mini Fuggler backpack charms. They are strange little plush creatures with realistic human teeth. I bought them each one since the day had the feeling of a snow day--cozy togetherness. Everyone was chatty and in a go...

A relaxing day. The girls and I went to Trader Joe's this morning for some groceries. Since Andrew will be in Brazil all week for work, we picked out a bunch of frozen meals for our dinners. I'm giving myself the grace of pre-made meals this week instead of doing the labor of prepping, cooking, and cleaning up while also going to work every day and doing all the chauffering. Something has to give and what is going to give is cooking. Pad thai! Orange chicken! Pork shumai! Lasagna! Trader Joe's has no shortage of options. There will come a day when I will happily undertake elaborate recipes in an enormous, sparkling new kitchen. That day is not today.  We were home for the rest of the day. Greta continued her intense crafting, turning her attention to upcycling some old jeans. She sewed fabric panels into one pair and wore them the rest of the day, and also made a tote bag out of another pair.  Lucia worked on some homework as well as editing a video she and a friend made at...

Wednesday I got my first fulvestrant injections--two shots, one at the top of each glute. I was a little nervous but they weren't anywhere as bad as I'd feared. It was a relief to finally get this part of the new treatment started. Do your work, powerful meds. Next dose is in two weeks. Thursday, the electricians were here and told me when they arrived that the power would likely be off intermittently. So instead of working from home like I'd planned, I went into the office for the morning. (Andrew played with fire and worked from home.) Andrew picked me up at lunchtime and we had lunch at the club, sitting in front of the fire. Very pleasant. Then I worked from home all afternoon, and the power stayed on.  Thursday evening was the Middle School and Upper School winter chorus concert. Mom and Dad drove in for it and we gathered in the basement afterward to have dessert for Mom's birthday (which is Friday).  Friday was Greta's Middle School dance. She wore a beautifu...

The waiting is the hardest part. Waiting for test results is always excruciating (so excruciating that I've stopped looking at them) but the waiting I'm doing now, for my new treatment to start, is also difficult. I want the new meds IN MY SYSTEM, doing their powerful work. This is known to be a powerful combo, and I just need it to get going. But, good news, on Monday, on my way to a lunch meeting, the gyn-onc nurse called me and said I can start the fulvestrant injections on Wednesday while we wait for insurance approval for the ribociclib. That's great. Glad I can get started with this part.  Tuesday just felt like more waiting. I told Andrew I felt like my eighteen-wheeler was incrementally making its corner turn and he looked at me like I was crazy--he does not really keep up with the daily brilliance of my blog. "I'M the eighteen-wheeler," I said, trying to clarify.  The demo continues. Dust is absolutely everywhere. The cleaners came Tuesday morning (to...

A day of errands and catching up. Greta and I took Nutmeg to her grooming appointment in Bethel Park this morning. We are always amazed at how expertly and easily the volunteers handle the bunnies--for us, trying to pick Nutmeg up is like trying to hold onto a handful of water. After that, the kids and I went to Target, Tous Les Jours, and Giant Eagle. Later in the afternoon, Greta, Farrah, and I went for a walk in Schenley, in the snow. It was very pretty, and very cold--so cold that pebbles had become encased in ice and attached themselves to Farrah's paws. We had to stop a few times and then run her paws under warm water at home to melt them off.   The kids did homework and piano practicing in the evening, and I finally finished Gilmore Girls. I'll watch the reboot next, though I like where the series proper ended, with everyone just on the other side of the cusp of happiness. It was a good finale. 

A day of sports for my sports-loving family. Andrew left the house at 4:00 a.m. to get a flight to Florida to see a football game (and to see his sister, since he didn't get to see her at Christmas). He was excited about this "playoff" football game so I'm glad he got to go. I'm not sure if it's related, but the other day he forced me and the girls to "choose" a football team for some kind of pool. After Andrew read off the team names, most of which we'd never heard of, Greta, deadpan, announced that she'd take the Seahorses, and she's referred to them this way ever since. (I think the actual team name is "Seahawks," which makes even less sense than Seahorses, because at least seahorses are real animals. Is a seahawk just a blustery, masculine, watch-out-or-I'll-tackle-you way of saying "seagull"? Or maybe it's a real creature? I could Google it, but I prefer the uncertainty and the ongoing irritation we can br...