76 Trombones

So I am sitting in my office this afternoon when I hear this awful banging noise. It kind of sounded like someone was crawling around in the ducts. Except that it sounded like it was coming from outside. And I could not fathom what would be making that noise outside.

When I looked out the window I discovered a marching band down below. Apparently the banging was from the bass drums. There was a parade, right under my window. How did I not know about this? I guess I should have been clued in by all of the touristy looking people down in the food court at lunch.

So for the next two hours I got to hear about a thousand marching bands and fire trucks pass by. (Seriously, how many marching bands can one freaking parade have?) Do you know how hard it is to analyze a 50 page contract with a parade passing below your window? In case you have never had the joy of that experience, it is kind of distracting.

Twelve years

That's how long I have been married as of today. More than 1/3 of my life. We've known each other since we were 16--half our lives. I don't feel old enough to have been married for so long. But we got married much too young--just a month before my 21st birthday. It worked for us, but I hope that my children are older before they marry, and especially before having children.

We've been through a lot in 12 years. We both graduated from college. Moved from Collegetown to Big City. Had our first child at the same time DH was starting his first job. Had a tremendously difficult pregnancy with the twins. Bought our first house. DH's got his masters. I went to law school. We've gone from barely-making-ends-meet starving college students living in a crappy apartment with hand-me-down furniture (and a futon!) working full-time and going to school full-time and hardly every seeing each other to semi-successful (that might get bumped up if I ever get a real job) people with comfortable incomes, a nice home in the 'burbs, and three beautiful kids. And we have managed to raise good and amazing kids who strangers compliment when we were out--it always stuns me that we made these three little people.

So the last twelve years have been good. I certainly wouldn't have predicted that my life would have turned out this way. (I never wanted kids and I was pre-med at the time.) But it all worked out. I wonder where we'll be in another 12 years? PS will be in college--the twins will be getting ready to graduate high school. We'll be on the verge of empty-nesting. Hard to imagine.

On Regifting

As a general rule I have nothing against regifting. If you get something you don't need or want and can give it to someone who does need it or want it, go for it. Just be sure the original gifter doesn't find out and that the item you are now giving away isn't total crap.

So for Christmas, I was openly regifted a gift certificate. It was for laser hair removal at a location that is not too far from me, but far, far away from the gift-giver. "Okay," I thought, "I'm going to assume the gift giver has the best intentions and isn't trying to imply that I am a hairy monkey-girl." But I just had a hunch strings would be attached to this "gift"--and I was so right.

The GC was for $100 and it was won in a contest. Therefore it had restrictions--like it could only be applied toward a package--so no single session to lose the 'stache. So I called today to see how much it was gonna cost me to redeem this gift. Uhhhh, somewhere in the neighborhood of $600--after applying my $100 GC.

And as much as I would love to have hair-free pits, I just can't justify $600 on that right now. Not with spending more than I should have on my kids' Christmas and student loan payments in the imminent future. So I'm thinking I won't be redeeming this GC (which must be redeemed by the end of Jan., BTW.) And I'm sure I'll have to explain this to the gift-giver when she asks what I had done. Fun!

Work is..work

Can't really say much. I'm working from home tomorrow because the nanny needed the day off. My boss seemed fine with that, and hardly anybody is in the office this week anyway. So I brought home 5 depo transcripts to summarize. I thought I'd try to pick up some extra hours over the weekend, to make up for Christmas since I am contract and don't get holiday pay.

Last week I pulled all of the live pleadings for the 10 volumes of pleadings that we received with a case that just got transferred. One of the attorney's told me to have "a paralegal or somebody" index them. But nobody is in the office this week. And since I haven't been assigned a secretary or assistant, I don't really feel comfortable handing anyone projects anyway. So I did it myself because it needed to be done, and I wanted to have it ready by the time my supervising attorney returns.

I feel like I have to balance doing the jobs that an attorney is getting paid to do against appearing that I think I am "too good" to do certain tasks. I don't mind the scut work (I've had way crappier jobs), and my hourly rate is the same regardless, but I don't really think that the client is going to pay attorney rates for copying and indexing.

Gaming Tip o' the day

I have apparently reverted back to my 10 year old self when I could spend hours on my nintendo. Both last night and tonight I have spent about two hours on the stupid wii. I haven't been interested in video games in more than 20 years, but the wii has made them fun again.

So last night I played Mario Galaxy. It is so much fun. I am not so great with managing the two-handed controllers, but I do ok. You have to crawl across planets all around far-away galaxies. Inside, outside, upside down.

Tonight I started Paper Mario. I swear there was 15 minutes of dialog before I did anything. Paper Mario is ok, and getting better as I go along, but I am so tired of reading. Every 30 seconds you have to stop and read something. And sometimes conversations go on way too long.

So if you are a new wii owner, I definitely recommed Mario Galaxy over Paper Mario.

As for the kids--they prefer the stuff that came loaded on the wii. PS's favorite is making new mii characters. The twins will play some of the sports games, but just aren't too much into it.

And just in case you think I am ruining my kids minds with video games, we spent at least 30 minutes tonight playing Boggle. But the kids kept getting mad because they never won. I think we are going to have to instute kid rules and adult rules (like maybe the adult words have to be a 4 or 5 letter minimum). We already waived the "letters have to touch" rule for the twins. I figure that at six years old, if they are picking out any words they are doing pretty well.

You'll shoot your eye out

I think the favorite toys this year were the Nerf dart guns. The guns shoot fast and the darts fly far, and they hurt like an SOB when they hit bare skin. But they are so much fun I think we are going to have to get more guns.


The kiddos also got a marble roller coaster that stretched across the entire living room on Christmas morning. That was a big hit, too.


The twins got CD players and PS got a combo digital camera/camera. And they all got a bunch of little stuff.

I guess the biggie was the wii. The kids didn't ask for it and barely noticed it this morning, but their interest has grown throughout the day. It is different and fun, and I think the console in the game room is better than everyone off on their own playing their DS's. We got Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario for the family. PS got Harry Potter, where you use the wii controller like a wand which is pretty cool for my little HP fanatic.


Back to work tomorrow. That feels strange. DH has always had the whole week of Christmas off and I have never had a job over the holidays. My boss will be out all week, and I probably could have had off if I had asked. But we just got a huge case dropped on us with looming deadlines, and there is plenty for me to do. And I think that getting a foothold in with this case might be what I need to get an offer out of them. So I will happily return to work tomorrow, with the goal of being very well versed in this case before my supervising attorney returns.

Merry Christmas to all

We returned last night from an impromptu trip to Hometown. Everyone was glad to see us, and the kiddos were happy to spend time with their grandparents and cousins. We returned late last night so that we could spend Christmas in our own home. We learned several years ago that we preferred to spend Christmas with just our immediate family in our own home. Mainly because it was tough for Santa to sneak all the kids' stuff to Hometown. And because on the return trip we had so much stuff there was barely room left in the car for the kids.

But also because we just like being in our own home. The last time we were in Hometown on Christmas, we were expected to be 5 different places inn the span of two days (thanks to my divorced parents and grandparents.) Now we spend all of Christmas day at home in our pajamas playing with out new toys. If we get restless, we see a movie. It is nice.

Right now, we are being dragged to church by DH. (He has not lost all religion like I have.) I grumble, but I secretly love Christmas music and the candlelight service, so it will be ok. Then we will go out to dinner and back home to open a few gifts (always new pj's) and play games. Life is good.

Tired

Today was long in that I worked 9.5 hours straight without a break (Diet Dr. Pepper + Snickers = lunch of champions), but I was on my way home by 6:00. I only skipped lunch because I was trying to finish up a project that I thought would take a lot less time than it did. But it was an ok day. I am just glad to be working. I am much happier working than not. Still crossing my fingers that they will make an offer next month.

DH took the girls shopping for me tonight, so I did a little shopping on the way home. Every time I think I am done, I think of someone I forgot.

Now I am trying to draft a release so that my nanny can take TT to the dentist tomorrow. She currently has two rows of teeth in the front on the bottom, because her permanent teeth are pushing through and the baby teeth haven't fallen out yet. There is always something weird going on around here.

What is hilarious...

watching Bob (50 pounds of pure black lab brilliance) bark at himself in the mirror. He's growling and all his hair is standing up, and he keeps trying to find a way behind the mirror.

Long day at work--didn't get home til 8:30. I have no idea how I am going to get us all ready to leave town Friday evening. This is going to be a long week.

We partied like it was 1999

DH's work party was last night. It was fabulous. Maybe it's just because neither of us have ever worked for big business before, but I have never seen anything like it. The party was for 450 at a ritzy hotel. They had an absolutely awesome 9 piece band in the main ballroom and a 3 piece band in the jazz lounge. And an open bar, including my personal favorite of the night, the martini luge. They also had a huge raffle with plasma tv's, laptops, trips and tons of other stuff, but we didn't manage to score anything.

The other fun thing was PicFlips. They gave us props and then took a 6 second video which they turned into a little flip book. Of course, it was much more fun after multiple visits to the martini luge, when DH donned a pimp hat and I a feather boa. SS was yelling at us to "take lots of pictures!" as we were leaving last night, so the kids thought the flipbooks were awesome.

Amazon Sucks!

Upon realizing that Christmas is a mere 10 days away and making a last minute decision to go to Hometown next weekend, I decided that I better finish up my Christmas shopping ASAP. So I headed to Amazon and put $200 worth of crap in my cart, because the giant banner on their site says I still have 4 to order days to ensure Christmas delivery. And everything I ordered stated that it was in stock. I got a couple of good deals, but most of it was pretty much in line with B&M store prices.

So I was pretty happy with myself for shopping so efficiently, and was ready to check out when Amazon informs me that only 1 of my items will arrive before Christmas and the rest will not ship until the first week of February. WTF??? On that very same screen it says that every item in my cart is in stock, so why the fuck can't it ship? I even tried upgrading to 1 day shipping--no luck.

I used to do a ton of shopping on Amazon, but their service has gotten so sucky that I rarely shop there anymore. Today I was reminded why.

This is how great my day was

So, with being a working mom and all, some of the household chores keep getting put off---like laundry. So this morning I have two choices for underwear. The pair that's too big and falls down all day, or the see-through ones. Since DH and I have been fighting lately and I didn't want to give him the impression that I was ready to make up, I opted for the too-big ones.

It's finally getting cold here, so today I decided to wear a skirt-suit with my tall boots and tights. I figured the tights would help keep the too-big underwear in place. (No I am not one to go commando w/ tights. I once knew someone who took the term "pantyhose" literally and didn't put anything underneath, but that's just wierd.)

So I get to work and as I am walking through the parking garage I realize that both the too-big undies and the tights are falling down. Apparently the elastic is gone in the tights, but I didn't realize it before I left the house. (No, I don't know how I didn't figure this out before.) I have to get to the elevator in the parking garage, down the elevator, through the tunnel under my building, up an escalator, across the first floor, up another elevator, and across another floor to my office. Somewhere in the tunnel I can tell that my butt cheeks are touching the lining of my skirt and I am beginning to freak out as I ponder the possibility that I could lose both my undies and tights in the middle of all these business people. I am praying that if I can make it to the elevator I can make an adjustment, because at least half the time I have the elevator to myself.

No such luck. There is a guy in the elevator with me and he's going to a higher floor than me. So I try to be inconspicuous as I do a knees-together waddle to my office. Blessedly hardly anyone is in yet, and I can finally pull up the undergarments that are now halfway to my knees.

Then I head to the restroom to determine what to do about this situation. I manage to pull up enough tight fabric to tie a knot, which miraculously actually worked. Except now I have this knot poking out making a lump under my skirt. It looks like I have a tumor. But at least I didn't drop my drawers in the middle of Big Shiny Building.

Time is not on my side

You just don't realize how much time you waste until you are keeping track of every minute of your day. I was emailing back and forth with the agency today, and I swear it took 15 minutes every time. Which added up to quite a bit of time I wasn't billing for.

So, yeah, I am dumping the agency. They simply couldn't manage to find a childcare provider who could find time to meet me before they picked up my kids on Thursday. It is shocking to me that anyone would agree to such a scenario, and I told them as much. I also told them that my primary need was for back-up care in similar situations, and that if they couldn't arrange for me to meet childcare providers beforehand, then their agency wasn't going to work for me. So now I am back to square one, and scrambling to cover for the end of this week.

The agency did come through with sitters for DH's party Saturday night and next Friday when our nanny will be unavailable again. I gave them an out, since I told them I would definitely not be joining and paying their membership fee, but they had already booked the girls, so at least those days are covered.

I think I will just tell work that I have an appointment Thursday afternoon and need to leave early. I don't think it will be a problem, and it's not really a fib. I do have an appointment--to pick up my kids from school. No need to go into details unless they ask. I'm supposed to be off early on Friday anyway, so hopefully everything will work out there. This is the part where it really sucks to have no family within 350 miles. (Although honestly, its worth the trade-off to keep my family 350 miles away!)

Now I need to go proof some memos that I drafted today. I had a raging headache (I think from dealing with the placement agency) and I left early. And by early I mean I left at 5:00.

The weekend is too short

Last week was busy with long hours and DH being out of town and there was a lot of catching up to do. I think the hardest thing about being a working mom is having to cram everything into the weekend. The house was a wreck, the cupboards were bare, and I had a huge list of stuff the kids needed for their holiday parties at school.

DH's work party is next weekend and I ordered this dress from Nordstrom last week. I was gambling that it would fit, but it was a steal for only $40. And it is much prettier in person--the picture doesn't really do it justice. Fortunately it fit, but this weekend I had to find shoes to match. That was a challenge, but I think I came up with something that will work.

I decided to go with the agency to take car of my childcare issues this week. I told them I was concerned about their refusal to make any guarantees, and they agreed to let me try their service out a few times before I pay the membership fee. I really need to have back-up child care in place if I am working, so hopefully this will work out. When I was in school, DH was the emergency back-up, and had to take a kid to work on occasion. I don't think his new place is going to go for that. The agency is pricey, but not unreasonable on two incomes. Fortunately, our nanny is awesome and almost always available. I certainly can't fault her for not being available this week. I started working on such short notice--and it is the holidays.

So tomorrow it all starts again. I hope they have something ready to go for me in the morning. The case I worked on all week settled late Friday afternoon, and I was even able to leave early. But I hate going in without anything sitting on my desk, 'cause I can't bill my hours if I don't have a project.

About the interview...

I went ahead and scheduled it. I just feel like it would be bad karma to turn down any interviews when Contract Firm is still on the fence about permanency. And maybe a job offer would get them to make a move. But I would much rather continue working for them than the place I am interviewing with. Today went well. I am working on an interesting project and feel like I am being given adequate responsibility.

My problem now is lining up child care through the holidays. My nanny already has plans for Thursday and Friday next week and Friday the 21st. I do not have back up care, and since DH just started a new job, he can't exactly take any time off. We have no family here, and my friends are scattered throughout my metro area and not really close enough to help out. I don't know anyone with teenagers. Has anyone used SitterCity to find sitters? I am so apprehensive finding someone without a personal referral.

The scoop on today

We survived and everything worked out, but I am tired and have a raging headache. Tomorrow we do it all again. It is tough being a single mom, and I will be glad when DH gets back.

As soon as I went in today they put me to work. As I suspected, I didn't really get a formal meeting to determine exactly what they wanted from me. But Name Partner stopped by my office and said that he though they would keep me as contract labor for 30-60 days and then decide where we would go. He warned me that there would be plenty of late nights.

Later, the Partner with whom I am working now stopped by and gave me a little more info. They want to give me more stability than I had before, so I will come in every day. I never really said anything to them, but I was not to thrilled when I was working for them before and never had any notice--so that part is definitely good. They are also getting me a parking card instead of validating every day and a building pass so that I can get in and out after hours. I think these are all good signs.

I just wish they would be a little more specific about my permanency prospects, but everything they are saying seems positive. I think maybe they are just apprehensive about replacing a 3rd year associate with a first year. Or, as one of the secretaries pointed out, maybe they are just trying to keep year end finances in check.

To complicate things further, I got a call today for an interview. I only applied for the job out of desperation. It is in family law, which is really not my preference, and it is for a non-profit which means low pay--probably half what I am making doing contract work. (I really didn't go to law school for the big bucks and would happily take a gov't job, but I don't really want to work for peanuts doing something I'm just not interested in.) So now I don't know what to do. Do I go ahead and try to schedule an interview while I am contracting just to see what happens? I think I would be in a better position to negotiate for permanency with a job offer in hand. Do I turn it down and gamble that my contract position will work out? Will it piss off contract firm if I am still interviewing since they are indicating that they are interested in me? (Ok, I'm not so worried about that one, since they have made no real commitments--and I would definitely go on an interview for a job I really wanted.)

And to add to the dramedy that is my life...

Yes, my daughter does have a staph infection. The doc was kind of evasive--it sounded like he only had preliminary information so he couldn't identify the particular kind of staph or how dangerous it is. But she has been on antibiotics since Friday and her ear looks much better.

Now I get to notify the school . (Actually I already gave the nurse a head's up. She knows my hypochrondriac kids very well.) It will be so fun to be the parent that is the source of the "There is a contagious disease floating around the school that could kill your child " letter.

All Hell is Now Breaking Loose

Contract Firm called a little while ago and bumped our meeting up to 9:00 am and said they had a task for me, but gave minimal details. So it sounds like I will actually start working (I'm assuming still as contract labor) tomorrow.

Oh crap, this means I need to make sure the nanny is available to watch the kids through tomorrow evening and possibly the rest of the week. DH is out of town all week, and nanny has never had to work past 6:00. I hope she is ok with potential late nights this week. And PS has an after-school thing tomorrow, which means she will have to go back to pick her up an hour and a half after she gets the twins. And I haven't heard back from her yet to tell her all this.

And I'll have to drop the kids off at 7:30, which means getting them up an extra half hour early. And who knows what time I have to get up to get myself and three kids ready. DH usually takes the bulk of the morning responsibilities. I so do not envy single moms.

And pretty much everything I own is at the dry cleaners right now. I tried to pick it up this afternoon, but it wasn't ready yet, so now I'll have to venture out in icky traffic to get it. At least I got my nails and brows done this afternoon so I don't look like a troll anymore.

This is all good. But after 6 weeks of laziness and self-pity I am freaking out a little at having to jump back in with both feet.

My only concern is that what was originally billed as a "planning meeting" now sounds more like a briefing to get me started on a project ASAP. I really want the chance to discuss contract v. permanency and set some deadlines, and I don't want it to get overlooked because of an urgent project.

We need to let our hair down

I know I have been posting about PS a lot lately. I think she is having a tough time heading into the tween years because she has trouble fitting in. She hates High School Musical and Hannah Montana, which all of her friends are raving about right now. PS is obsessed with Harry Potter, and Tim Burton movies. (I'm a little concerned she's going to become a goth chick as a teen.)

Last night was BFF's birthday sleepover. The girls did karaoke and put on make-up and wash-out hair color. Except PS didn't. She said she was afraid I would be mad. I really don't understand why, I let her play with make-up at home. And that's the kind of stuff girls are supposed to do at slumber parties.

I think PS and I need to do something fun and a little wild together. I am pretty conservative and she is 1000 times worse. We are goody two-shoes. But I want her to know that she can be a good girl and still have fun. So what kind of wild and crazy things can I do with my 9 year old?

Ewww, and as I sit her about to publish I just noticed a half-eaten banana in the middle of the floor. Kids are gross. On what planet is it ok to leave a half-eaten anything in the floor? Especially a banana, that going to get all slimy and gooey.