Skipping Town

You'll notice a gap of days. May 8 - 12 are missing from this blog, but rest assured they are all pretty much the same as what I'm about to describe. The blog as well as everything else has gotten away from me, and I blame it 100% on the fact that we are still living in the basement. The feeling of being disorganized and displaced has only gotten worse as these months have worn on. And the project now feels like it's at a standstill as we await the countertops--a step that needs to be completed before additional, final (?) steps can take place. Things have been appearing incrementally, and it is very hard to judge how they actually look when they are out of context with the rest of the kitchen. Every time I come home from work and see something new, something that looks out of scale and out of place in all the unfinishedness of the spaces around it, I decide I hate it and lament to Andrew that we've made a huge, huge mistake in choosing it, and Andrew tries to make me f...

We're deep into Maycember now, the frantic rush to the end of the school year when there are five million things to do in addition to all the usual things. Andrew was, once again, out of town, this time on a last-minute trip to a farm demonstration somewhere in Florida; but fortunately it was only two days. In the meantime, the kids had track and crew; I partnered with friendly frozen foods from Costco to keep us all alive; I forgot to take out the garbage on garbage night; and had my monthly labs and checkup. (Another decrease in my CA-125, plus an acceptable level of absolute neutrophils--good news!) By Thursday, a few things had been achieved. I got Greta and her friend tickets to Olivia Rodrigo by waiting in the ticket queue and then refreshing the seat options one thousand times. Andrew, also in the queue, grabbed two more for Lucia and her friend. It felt like an achievement.  Lucia ran the 1600 and 3200 at her "last chance" track meet--the last meet where the kids ...

Andrew got home from CA on Thursday; Greta got home from DC on Friday. So the family unit is back together.  The title of this post is "Marathon Weekend" both because it was, indeed, the Pittsburgh Marathon and because it felt like a marathon to have this weekend happen when we are still without a kitchen. Andrew's college friend as well as Molly came in for the weekend to run the half and the full, respectively. We can easily provide comfortable sleeping arrangements for two guests but it is far harder to figure out meals. So we just went out or ordered in all weekend. Friday: Molly, Lucia, and I went out to Diners n+1 for sushi (and got a crunchy roll to go for when Greta got home). Saturday: late lunch at Cafe del Taquila; takeout dinner from Pastoli's. Sunday: Pigeon bagels for lunch; takout Mineo's for dinner.  The marathon was a success for all. Andrew and Jon ran the half. Molly ran the full. Mom, Dad, the kids, and I saw Andrew once around mile 11 but miss...

This week has been very quiet at home. Andrew left for California Monday morning, and Greta left for the eighth-grade trip to DC on Tuesday. So it's been just me, Lucia, Farrah, and Nutmeg, and since Lucia has school and then track and then homework, while I have work, "dinner prep" (ie selecting a frozen item from Trader Joe's to microwave), and petcare, we have just gone about our quiet routines. The only real chaos is the construction work, still ongoing. I had a call with our designer about wallpaper; almost all of the cabinetry is installed. There is a lot of work but things still kind of look...the same. Someday this kitchen will be done. Someday!

It was a Mamma Mia! weekend, with performances Friday and Saturday night plus Sunday afternoon. Andrew sold concessions; I sold tickets; Mom and Dad came on Sunday. Though attending four performances of Mamma Mia! in four days may seem like a lot, it is truly a joy to get to see the shows, the slight differences from one to the next, the excitement of the cast, the clear sadness after the final performance. I love every minute of the musical. (I am also so, so, so, so, so glad that musical is over. It has added a layer of chaos to the entire family.) On Sunday, a boy from another school who was attending the musical for the third time brought flowers for Lucia. I saw him come into the theater. I gave Andrew a head's up. When Lucia came out to say hello after the show, I nudged her so she noticed the kid waiting a few rows back. You may think this is an exaggeration--or an embellishment--but let me assure you that I physically felt the brisk and sudden turning of a page in this pare...

It was finally opening night for Lucia's musical, Mamma Mia. It was a long week for her of 9:30pm rehearsals, on top of homework. Monday night she came home at 9:45pm and announced she was going to go to Schenley for a run. "Absolutely not," I managed to say. "Then I'm going to run all around the house," she said. I don't think she actually did this. Where would she run in this construction zone? But maybe she did; I was asleep about five minutes after bringing her home. I did find a syrupy plate in the sink the next morning from what were, apparently, some very late-night Eggos. I mean--the week has been totally out of hand.  But tonight was opening night, and of course the show was wonderful, as all WT musicals are. It is always a joy to see how many kids participate--both boys and girls--and how excited they are about being on stage. Their friends come, and their teachers and the school admins. (I always take careful note of who shows up; most do. Don...