Friday, March 19, 2004

Bad news

I'm having a "day". The toilet backed up yesterday and the landlord called roto rooter to come in this morning at 8:30 to clear out the sewer line to the street (apparently the big magnolia tree out front causes problems with its roots)... anyway the repair ended up taking 3 hours because they had to do both lines and basically found other problems. (My car got sprayed with some poopy water as the guy rolled up the auger - ugh!) Our landlord is about 28 years old, married 5 years, his wife is pregnant with their first kid and he's a banker... it's all very odd. Depressing.

Anyway... my mom emailed this morning to say that my dad was back in the hospital and is in line to see a couple of different specialists because they're having problems with the incision still. My aunt (technically my mom's aunt, but she's only 10 years older and has always been close to us - she taught me how to knit and crochet when I was a kid) found out that she has bladder cancer - and she just spent the last 2 years recovering from breast cancer. And my mom's uncle (different side of the family) died in his sleep last night. Oy. I can't get over this - I have to believe that they'll figure out what's going on with my dad and he'll recover soon and that (hopefully) my aunt's cancer is confined just to the bladder, so they can treat it.

Monday, March 15, 2004

A Real House

I'm really enjoying life here so far... everything on the home front is going very smoothly and the house continues to shape up slowly. The backyard looks better everyday and I can't remember the last place I lived that had such a big backyard and big trees. I'm sure we'll go out and get a barbecue at some point.

I'm glad I'm missing the snow - I have to say. It's kind of nice to see the crocus(es?) and the daffodils in bloom in all the yards and the magnolia bushes are out too. Very strange, but I'm not complaining!

Saturday, March 13, 2004

Rodin in Tulsa ?

I got up early today to watch Brendan run a 5km road race... in the rain! Ugh. Yucky morning but it was a "St Patrick's Day Run", so there were bagpipers out there and it was a fundraiser for the special olympics, so a good cause. It cleared up later in the day and we went to the local museum to see a Rodin exhibit of his sculptures - it is in town at the museum here till the end of March. That was cool and we met up with a friend-couple as well and then rented a movie afterward.

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Oh, the Passion

Just winding down the work day... going to see a movie tonight. Yay! I get out of the house... but we're careful to go to a theatre NOT showing the Passion since I hear that there are car line-ups out the parking lots of those theatres with all the jesus-freaks er- I'm sorry, I mean, Christian Fundamentalists in town. The bible belt. It's interesting all right.

Exploring...

On Saturday, the weather was about 70 degrees, so I cleaned the garage out - I had to flatten a bunch of boxes to save for when I move again and then throw out a bunch of boxes and stuff. I tried to sort through stuff for a future yard sale, maybe... and organize my bikes, my skis, the laundry area, my other sporting stuff and stuff I want to store out there. I felt better getting that done - especially if there is a hail storm or tornado warning anytime soon (!) and I need to get my car in the garage. Apparently the hail storms here are brutal and can really dent up your car pretty badly.

The weather here was up to 70 last Saturday, yesterday and today - the rest of the time it is in the 60s and down in the high 30s or 40s at night. Not super warm yet, not super cold either. It rained really, really hard last week for two days and I guess there were tornadoes in Okla City which is 2 hours from here. Not too worried though (knock on wood).

I'm just working away - not too much that's new. I haven't gone out all that much - mostly Brendan and I hang out and watch movies or meet up with his friends and their girlfriends - who I like. Three of the four guys have a wife or fiancees, the fourth guy just called off his engagement (which everyone agreed was a smart move - his fiancee - I met her once - was a monster). These guys have been in the program together since day one - so I've met them before and like them and they're pretty close because they're a small group and study together, etc.

The city is cool - I've been out to the Utica Square area - just an open air mall with Coach, Ann Taylor, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Saks, Pier One, the Gap, PF Changs, Starbucks, a post office, bank of america, etc. - it's nice weather - so nice to go and not be in a mall. Other than that, I've been going to the gym with Brendan almost every night (he's a good influence) and working out for the last two weeks. I'm already feeling stronger and hoping to lose some l-b s. Brendan is going to run a 5 km race this Saturday, but I'm sitting out - I've been doing the elliptical trainer mostly, because it is much easier on my back and my knees. Slowly, I'm starting to jog again - outside by the river when it's nice (well, only once last Saturday) or on the treadmill. The university gym is really cool. I like it a lot even if I feel OLD using it - a bunch of 18 year olds running around that are 13 years younger than me. Yikes. When did that happen? Wow. Anyway, it's all open concept so the three basketball courts are right next to the cardio with no walls and I've signed out basketballs a couple of times, just to take some shots and remember back... 13+ years ago to when I played. !! I'm thinking that I'm going to search around for tennis lessons either on campus or at the Tulsa Tennis Club near our house. (Not sure about the Tennis Club since it is private and looks kind of expensive, but we'll see.) Brendan and I went out to some public courts a couple of weeks ago and played for a while. The public courts are near my place and have wind screens with decent surfaces, so that's good. But I would like lessons so I can improve and maybe meet some people to play with and find friends of my own. Hopefully, not southern belles, but we'll see.

I haven't had to do the green card physical yet. Fun fun. I've looked at the forms though - looks like a lot... ugh. Just one more thing to add to the list.

Monday, March 08, 2004

Gruesome Surgery Details

My dad did finally have his surgery, exactly two weeks later from the original date, so Feb 19th or so. He is still in the hospital because his incision has been weeping/leaking so they put him on an IV and are trying to get that drained and dried out before sending him home. My mom says that it looks like he has a huge zipper - the incision is from below his belly button up to his chest and is stapled up - eesh! sounds ghastly, doesn't it? Anyway, I'm glad that they're keeping an eye on him in the hospital. Better than sending him home too soon. When I talked to him last he sounded much better, so with any luck, his recovery will continue without more complications. I think he's itching to go fishing and I'd like to be able to talk him into going to Boston at the end of May and meeting Brendan's parents. I think he would enjoy seeing their cottage and going out in the boat down there. My parents used to take summer vacations on the Cape with my sisters in the 60's, before I was born and they always talk about it.

Anyway, things here are going pretty well. I'm woefully behind on wedding planning, but trying to make up for it lately. With any luck, we'll get caught up by the end of the week. I'm settling in here and I'm loving the house very much. Brendan and I have been working out together which is fun and good for me, since I can get distracted from going to the gym. We went jogging along the riverside on Saturday in shorts - then and today, it's almost 70, I think. So, there are definitely benefits to the weather down here. We had friends over Friday night to watch movies we rented - the friendgroup here is one that I've met since I've visited Tulsa 3 years ago, so I know these guys fairly well and like them a lot. Their girlfriends are okay, I can get along with them, but they're not my style - mostly southern types that wouldn't dare be seen by anyone without make-up on. Ick.

Other than that, I've got a ton of work to do and spend all day long working from the back bedroom while Aston sits on the file cabinets and looks out the window, transfixed by all the squirrels and birds in the backyard.