I do NOT update this enough.
So I will now.
I am home, after moving out of Brooklyn and spending the weekend enjoying yummy food and the sardonic company of yagathai . (I fucked up a bit by not appraising easter , who had promised me lodging, of my plans. I will now call that idiocy the Great Jessica Fail of 2009. I think Daae will be amused by that.)
The flight home was... well, a saga. It's stressing me out to think about it.
I had a hard pet carrier for Butters to bring him home. was 9 inches tall. Unfortunately, the limit for height was 8 inches. I did not know this because Continental's pet policy is somewhat Byzantine, and the pet carrier model was "certified airplane safe," so admittedly I didn't do the due diligence I should have.
The new soft carrier cost 60 bucks. I had 55 bucks on me. They did not accept payments over the phone, or any alternate form of payment or a check, or a return guarantee. The payment had to be cash.
I kind of had a mental breakdown.
All is well, though. One money transfer from Dad (thank GOD) and a quick rebooking (gratis) later, I was on the plane with Butters.
The next slapstick event happened when a sedated Butters figured out he could open the velcro tab of the soft carrier with his nose (which, granted, as already slightly open as I'd been petting him.)
Two hours into the flight, I was tapped by a flight attendant.
"You have a cat, right?"
"Huh?"
"Well, he's made friends with the entire first class."
Cat on a plane! Butters had not only snuck out, but he found the lap of a cute elderly couple to snuggle and be cute in - in the first class cabin. (I was in coach. He spoiled!)
That was... mortifying. But funny.
Now I'm home. Thanks to the largesse of a very generous male friend (whom I like very much - he treats my mother with dignity, respect and kindness and that's all I can ask for) - my mom's home is heavily remodeled in a way she loves. Her guy, who owns a construction company, can afford renovations gratis - it's his company!
So now we have repainted walls, new bathroom fixtures like new Jacuzzi tubs, and new windows that badly needed replacing. The house looks great. It makes Mom really happy - "I have a home I can be proud of." I think it's kind of a way for Mom to get the specter of her asshole ex-husband out of her life. The house literally seemed darker when he was around. It's a relief to just interact with Lauren and her without his asshole presence. Her boyfriend has his own home and business an hour away, and they "visit from time to time" for a couple of days. And according to Mom, "That's all I need in my life right now." Yay seemingly stable not-crazy boyfriend!
Healthwise, the good news is that my mom's health problem (two marble-sized throat nodules) is NOT cancer. However, said nodules may contain cells that could quickly metastize into an aggressive, terminal, cancer, and is causing severe side effects for her besides. So she is strongly considering removing the thyroid which may require 2-3 weeks of leave.
She is doing OK financially, but is in some debt from the ex-husband years (long story short: he drained her dry. I always hated him - from day one in fact. It's really hard to not dance around singing, "I told you so! Told you so!" Petty, I know.)
So being here is a relief to her - if I start to teach as a substitute, which I'm interested in doing for a few months, I can help put food on the table. And pay my own considerable debt from personal loans, student loans, and simply stupid financial decisions I made in college. (Never again!)
Mom actually asked me to take over her 6th grade science class if she does end up taking that long a leave. I've... I've never felt more honored.
Frankly, it's good to be home. I was Lauren's "parent" at her 6th grade Open House tonight, because Mom had to talk to parents herself. It made me sentimental because I was in 6th grade when she was born. She's grown up so much! She's taking up trombone - my instrument - to be "just like you, Jessica" (her words.) Unlike me, she's a math and science whiz (I was always an English girl) and she signed up for science and math academic competitions through UIL, Texas' public school competitive body.
She's just a cool kid. Not as much of a reader as I was, but she'll watch Discovery Channel and National Geographic for hours and absorb every word. She's thoughtful - she'll make breakfast for Mom and cook dinner if Mom's tired. She's interested in everything around her and asks me about history, politics, and art. She's a bit of a nerd and a bit of a popular kid at the same time. Dances to the beat of her own drum, that girl.
I'm just really proud to be her big sis. And happy to be home. That's all. :)
I am home, after moving out of Brooklyn and spending the weekend enjoying yummy food and the sardonic company of yagathai . (I fucked up a bit by not appraising easter , who had promised me lodging, of my plans. I will now call that idiocy the Great Jessica Fail of 2009. I think Daae will be amused by that.)
The flight home was... well, a saga. It's stressing me out to think about it.
I had a hard pet carrier for Butters to bring him home. was 9 inches tall. Unfortunately, the limit for height was 8 inches. I did not know this because Continental's pet policy is somewhat Byzantine, and the pet carrier model was "certified airplane safe," so admittedly I didn't do the due diligence I should have.
The new soft carrier cost 60 bucks. I had 55 bucks on me. They did not accept payments over the phone, or any alternate form of payment or a check, or a return guarantee. The payment had to be cash.
I kind of had a mental breakdown.
All is well, though. One money transfer from Dad (thank GOD) and a quick rebooking (gratis) later, I was on the plane with Butters.
The next slapstick event happened when a sedated Butters figured out he could open the velcro tab of the soft carrier with his nose (which, granted, as already slightly open as I'd been petting him.)
Two hours into the flight, I was tapped by a flight attendant.
"You have a cat, right?"
"Huh?"
"Well, he's made friends with the entire first class."
Cat on a plane! Butters had not only snuck out, but he found the lap of a cute elderly couple to snuggle and be cute in - in the first class cabin. (I was in coach. He spoiled!)
That was... mortifying. But funny.
Now I'm home. Thanks to the largesse of a very generous male friend (whom I like very much - he treats my mother with dignity, respect and kindness and that's all I can ask for) - my mom's home is heavily remodeled in a way she loves. Her guy, who owns a construction company, can afford renovations gratis - it's his company!
So now we have repainted walls, new bathroom fixtures like new Jacuzzi tubs, and new windows that badly needed replacing. The house looks great. It makes Mom really happy - "I have a home I can be proud of." I think it's kind of a way for Mom to get the specter of her asshole ex-husband out of her life. The house literally seemed darker when he was around. It's a relief to just interact with Lauren and her without his asshole presence. Her boyfriend has his own home and business an hour away, and they "visit from time to time" for a couple of days. And according to Mom, "That's all I need in my life right now." Yay seemingly stable not-crazy boyfriend!
Healthwise, the good news is that my mom's health problem (two marble-sized throat nodules) is NOT cancer. However, said nodules may contain cells that could quickly metastize into an aggressive, terminal, cancer, and is causing severe side effects for her besides. So she is strongly considering removing the thyroid which may require 2-3 weeks of leave.
She is doing OK financially, but is in some debt from the ex-husband years (long story short: he drained her dry. I always hated him - from day one in fact. It's really hard to not dance around singing, "I told you so! Told you so!" Petty, I know.)
So being here is a relief to her - if I start to teach as a substitute, which I'm interested in doing for a few months, I can help put food on the table. And pay my own considerable debt from personal loans, student loans, and simply stupid financial decisions I made in college. (Never again!)
Mom actually asked me to take over her 6th grade science class if she does end up taking that long a leave. I've... I've never felt more honored.
Frankly, it's good to be home. I was Lauren's "parent" at her 6th grade Open House tonight, because Mom had to talk to parents herself. It made me sentimental because I was in 6th grade when she was born. She's grown up so much! She's taking up trombone - my instrument - to be "just like you, Jessica" (her words.) Unlike me, she's a math and science whiz (I was always an English girl) and she signed up for science and math academic competitions through UIL, Texas' public school competitive body.
She's just a cool kid. Not as much of a reader as I was, but she'll watch Discovery Channel and National Geographic for hours and absorb every word. She's thoughtful - she'll make breakfast for Mom and cook dinner if Mom's tired. She's interested in everything around her and asks me about history, politics, and art. She's a bit of a nerd and a bit of a popular kid at the same time. Dances to the beat of her own drum, that girl.
I'm just really proud to be her big sis. And happy to be home. That's all. :)