Week of Firsts, iPhones, Running, & the Heebie Jeebies
Yesterday was Rocketboy's first day of summer camp. He's doing the city farmer and science adventure day camp at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden 3 days a week from 9 to 3. It's the first time since January of 2009 that he's been away from me all day - on an everyday basis, that is. A few weeks ago he stayed with my sister for two days while I visited Pittsburgh. Since we're homeschooling that means 19 months of all day, all the time interaction. He was reluctant at first, "I don't like gardening," said the boy who is always asking to dig or clip or harvest in the backyard. By the time orientation was over he was sitting at attention at the edge of his seat. He happily left me and I happily walked away with Audrey strapped to me. I laugh to think back at myself when I only had one kid and how hard it seemed sometimes. One child in a carrier, nursing, with my hands free is blissful freedom! What a contrast. I now consider a day when I only have to care for one child a day off.
We traipsed off to Manhattan to sit in the blissful cool of not one but 2 Apple stores trying to get the problem with Steve's phone resolved. Last week we were pretty convinced that iPhones just aren't worth the extra expense. Our contract is up in Aug and we were thinking of going with cheap, basic phones instead, especially because Steve's has been having battery issues and a whole host of problems. All I can say is that Apple has us wrapped around it's little finger. The experience of going to the store is so pleasant and seamless as to be luxurious. The genius bar people were gracious, thorough, and incredibly attentive. In a place so crowded yet I still felt singled out. and the service! With almost no hassle, other than the wait, they smilingly arranged for me to get a new phone for Steve (pick up at another Apple store that had it in stock) and for me too. On both our phones the casing has a crack where the charger plugs in. Apple is replacing any cracked phone. So one month short of 2 years, we both have new iPhones. Then I had a discussion with a friend about waiting at a typical cellular store for a typical phone. The iPhone is soooooooo worth it.
I got back to the garden to get Rocketboy. He had a great time but held my hand as we walked out and said "This has one flaw - I don't get to see you all day." I nearly melted (though not enough to keep him from going to camp - I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the next two months having three days off).
I'm happy to say that I logged 2.5 miles walking that day. I am so pleased since this is another week of firsts: I'm starting a running program. The way it goes, I alternate walking days with walk/run days, starting very very slowly. By the end of this year (24 weeks actually) I hope to actually call myself a runner. At some point I'll get into why I want to run, or more accurately, why I want to consider myself a runner. It's all tied up with moral superiority but that's a discussion for another time.
Today (day 2 of super heat wave in the city - not as intolerable as I would have thought with temps above 100) was yet another first: Rocketboy's first day of Track & Field. His friend joined us and they seemed to have a great time. While he had his training I did a walk/run session (30 seconds run/2 min walk approx) totaling .8 miles. I think I need to push myself more next time. I was way too easy on myself, but I've been determined to start slowly so I set myself up for success. This is going to be hard enough to be committed to run or walk every day with the immediate demands of the two kids, I don't want to discourage myself by setting unrealistic goals.
So what does this all have to do with the heebie jeebies? Absolutely nothing. Except that later in the day we were supposed to go to the beach at Coney Island. As we were leaving our friend's house I was getting more and more agitated. I got in the car and was nervous. As I approached the expressway I got more anxious and felt as if someone was squeezing my chest. All I could think is "We really shouldn't go there. We really shouldn't go there. We really shouldn't go there." At the stoplight just before the ramp I noticed that my hands were cold. It was nearly 100 degrees out and we have no A/C in the car (it's over $2000 to fix it and I simply can't stomach spending that much on a car with 115k miles just for something as namby-pamby as comfort). There were no indicators that there was anything wrong - no crazy traffic or unusual ocurances on a very familiar route. I'm not a nervous person, I am a rationalist, nearly Spock-like. Even so, I loked at my cold hands and I had to stop and pay attention to this feeling of dread that made no rational sense. All I know is that every time I pictured our planned trip, I felt scared in a deep-down, visceral, animal way. I stopped, called my friend and told her we had to change plans. Once I did, I instantly felt better. Instead we met at a nearby playground and all was right with the world.
Weird huh? You ever get those gut feelings that defy logic? What do you do about them? Have you ever been proved wrong (or right)?
We traipsed off to Manhattan to sit in the blissful cool of not one but 2 Apple stores trying to get the problem with Steve's phone resolved. Last week we were pretty convinced that iPhones just aren't worth the extra expense. Our contract is up in Aug and we were thinking of going with cheap, basic phones instead, especially because Steve's has been having battery issues and a whole host of problems. All I can say is that Apple has us wrapped around it's little finger. The experience of going to the store is so pleasant and seamless as to be luxurious. The genius bar people were gracious, thorough, and incredibly attentive. In a place so crowded yet I still felt singled out. and the service! With almost no hassle, other than the wait, they smilingly arranged for me to get a new phone for Steve (pick up at another Apple store that had it in stock) and for me too. On both our phones the casing has a crack where the charger plugs in. Apple is replacing any cracked phone. So one month short of 2 years, we both have new iPhones. Then I had a discussion with a friend about waiting at a typical cellular store for a typical phone. The iPhone is soooooooo worth it.
I got back to the garden to get Rocketboy. He had a great time but held my hand as we walked out and said "This has one flaw - I don't get to see you all day." I nearly melted (though not enough to keep him from going to camp - I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the next two months having three days off).
I'm happy to say that I logged 2.5 miles walking that day. I am so pleased since this is another week of firsts: I'm starting a running program. The way it goes, I alternate walking days with walk/run days, starting very very slowly. By the end of this year (24 weeks actually) I hope to actually call myself a runner. At some point I'll get into why I want to run, or more accurately, why I want to consider myself a runner. It's all tied up with moral superiority but that's a discussion for another time.
Today (day 2 of super heat wave in the city - not as intolerable as I would have thought with temps above 100) was yet another first: Rocketboy's first day of Track & Field. His friend joined us and they seemed to have a great time. While he had his training I did a walk/run session (30 seconds run/2 min walk approx) totaling .8 miles. I think I need to push myself more next time. I was way too easy on myself, but I've been determined to start slowly so I set myself up for success. This is going to be hard enough to be committed to run or walk every day with the immediate demands of the two kids, I don't want to discourage myself by setting unrealistic goals.
So what does this all have to do with the heebie jeebies? Absolutely nothing. Except that later in the day we were supposed to go to the beach at Coney Island. As we were leaving our friend's house I was getting more and more agitated. I got in the car and was nervous. As I approached the expressway I got more anxious and felt as if someone was squeezing my chest. All I could think is "We really shouldn't go there. We really shouldn't go there. We really shouldn't go there." At the stoplight just before the ramp I noticed that my hands were cold. It was nearly 100 degrees out and we have no A/C in the car (it's over $2000 to fix it and I simply can't stomach spending that much on a car with 115k miles just for something as namby-pamby as comfort). There were no indicators that there was anything wrong - no crazy traffic or unusual ocurances on a very familiar route. I'm not a nervous person, I am a rationalist, nearly Spock-like. Even so, I loked at my cold hands and I had to stop and pay attention to this feeling of dread that made no rational sense. All I know is that every time I pictured our planned trip, I felt scared in a deep-down, visceral, animal way. I stopped, called my friend and told her we had to change plans. Once I did, I instantly felt better. Instead we met at a nearby playground and all was right with the world.
Weird huh? You ever get those gut feelings that defy logic? What do you do about them? Have you ever been proved wrong (or right)?