You Don't Know How It Feels

A good friend of mine also has a blog worth reading: Chronic Style. In the short version, KC describes it's purpose as this: "Chronic Style is a different way of looking at living with long-term and debilitating illness. It’s optimistic, educated, knowledgeable, intimate, informative, and stylish."   She's had to deal with some pretty incredible illnesses in her still short life and yet she remains optimistic about trying all avenues toward a healthy life.

So after yet another unsuccessful doctors visit for me today and the various phone calls and explanations that go with that, I was brought back to a previous post of KC's where she links to an article in the New York Times. To save you from multiple clicks, I've included it here: "You look great, and other lies". My personal favorites from this list are:

Did you try that Mango Colonic I Recommended? AKA - Never Inundate a sick person with your miracle solution idea.  Here's the thing. We all know you mean well. But when I (the patient) have been shuffled from one doctor to the next, each with varying degrees of success in their bedside manner, and somewhat equal correlation to how helpful they were, chances are I have tried that. It either worked out well and I'm continuing that route with mild success or it failed and just made us hate that we tried it. Mostly, I don't care to talk about various treatments. It makes me feel like a patient even outside of the office. And what works for your great uncle bob, probably isn't relevant for someone with vastly different needs. Plus, KC and I both think it's just exhausting.

It Will Be Okay. Really? How do you know? Have you seen the tests/scans/prognosis/fate/destiny? I rank this with "look on the bright side - insert joke". I've probably made all those jokes. The ones about sleeping more soundly, putting annoying people on the other side, using selective hearing as an excuse. It's funny when I say it. It's not when you do. Watch my lead. If I want to talk and be jovial about things, by all means, chime in! Humor really is sometimes the best medicine. But try not to lead with a joke just because you're uncomfortable. That's not that funny.

But before all 20 of you stop reading CoastalBS (yes, I am aware of at least 4 of you that choose to remain anonymous) and accuse me of being a Debby Downer, here are a few faves from the list:
Would You Like Some Gossip?
I Love You.
Those things never fail. I do count my blessings that all of you in my life fulfill those last two. I'm so lucky. And just for the record, I know better than to write when I am annoyed or angry. I do it anyway. 

Every Rose Has It's Thorn

I seriously believe that I have a restless soul. My brain never stops moving, which is not always a good thing. I toss and turn, continually second guess decisions, and wonder what life would be like if I lived in City A, but maybe City B, or a combination of City A and City B with plenty of room to indulge in what I believe is the glamorous life of a gypsy. Only, without the negative aspects like stealing and living places illegally.

Since I have no idea how long I will be in a particular place, I try to make a serious effort to get out and find my own adventure, to make sure that I really live and indulge in the various activities of my new surroundings. That leads me to the subject of this blog post. One random Sunday, I decided that I was going to get up early, and walk down to the Marina District for a relaxing cup of coffee before hopping on MUNI to the parking lot of the Golden Gate Bridge. I'd take a leisurely stroll across the bridge, catch the MUNI over to Golden Gate Park as the fog rolled in to view the Picasso exhibit before heading home to walk and feed the dog. Sounds like a most perfect day doesn't it?

I should mention that I have a love/hate relationship with MUNI (the bus system). It gets me where I am going, but rarely in a timely, comfortable manner.

New York Times' Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My morning didn't start out quite like I planned, because I forgot that I needed to make RBD3 some baked goods because LTD and LDL were going to be taking a break due to the impending arrival of MLL. See the previous post of me about my lack of baking equipment. It was quite the experiment. I followed the instructions perfectly, but they didn't tell me that I need to mix the dry ingredients together before mixing into the wet. I don't have a stand mixer, so my forearms had quite the work out. But at least the set-up was neat and tidy!

ALL these people were on my bus.

After messing up my cookies (waaaaay too floury), I walked to Fillmore to catch the sweet view from the top of the hill and grab the bus to the GG bridge. The bus is late. 20 minutes late. But it would be just my luck to head to catch another bus, or start walking, or just go get my car, and then my bus would show up. So me and about 20 foreigners are hanging out, waiting to get to the bridge. Pretty soon it becomes apparent that I live in the city (and I am by myself) so every single party asked me if MUNI was always unreliable. If someone would pick us up soon. We became friends. Good thing too, since when a non-full bus finally arrived (3 full ones passed without stopping) we crammed in like sardines. I took a picture of people exiting so you would have some idea of what the ride was like. OH! I forgot to mention that by the time the bus picked us up (waited for over an hour) the fog had started rolling in, covering bridge views.

After throwing myself out of the bus to prevent trampling, I headed to the bridge to start my walk. With 1,000 of my closest friends. Lucky for me - the Park Service is aware of heavy crowds. To make things even better, the west side of the bridge is closed, meaning that tourists pedestrians, tourist cyclists, leisure cyclists, leisure runners, and crazy people that ride 150 miles a day were all on one 8ft wide piece of concrete suspended in air. Plenty of crisis hot lines were around though. I politely asked the German next to me to take my picture. He took a long time and finally said "Oh. Is it just you?". Yes sir! Just me! Just take the picture already. It's a terrible picture of me. One of those - I shouldn't have to wear sunglasses because there is no sun, and yet I still squint - ugh.

Claustrophobes, turn back now!

Yes, I did this in August and am wearing a sweater.

So I walk the bridge. It gets much better after you make your way past the advertised "vista" where most people stop to shield themselves from the wind, take a picture, and turn around. Truthfully, it was very calming. I couldn't hear much but the tinnitus anyway, so the rush of the cars flying by was soothing. I took a few pictures along the way for your viewing pleasure. Side note: when I take pictures, I move to the side of the "trail" so that the cyclists, runners, and walkers can pass. Not everyone is aware of this piece of travel/picture etiquette. I find that young females are the biggest perpetrators of this rule. They seem to think that every one will think they are cute and funny, lining up their giants bikes across the entire span of the walkway. Yeah. Super cool. Cyclists rang their bells like crazy. Kind of funny.

Lookout for jumpers. Easy to do without fencing. 

Pretty cool right? Even covered in fog.

I enjoyed my walk. I can cross that off the "must do" list. I enjoyed it so much that I was tempted to walk all the way to Sausalito and have a tasty adult beverage (like a hot toddy - in August). But Picasso and his Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso Paris awaited. So I touched the other side of the bay (to say I completely crossed), turned around, and speed walked back to the parking lot to catch the next MUNI to Golden Gate Park and the  de Young Museum. In hindsight, I should have driven my own car, or ridden my bike but that's 20-20 right? Oh! I forgot to mention, that will I was trying to take a picture of the small window of no fog while waiting for the bus back, people just stepped right in front of me. I just I left too much space between me and the railing. Clearly, totally the fault of me and my personal space.

Really? All up in my "zoom" space

MUNI finally comes to pick me up at 4:00pm. I just discover (via my slow as molasses iPhone) that they stop selling tickets at 4:30 so that the museum can close at 5:30. What? On a week night? But I'm making decent time. I only waited for the bus for 20 minutes, stopped at 10 different places, and finally got off at Fulton. I immediately cross the street and start walking toward the de Young. Except I went the wrong way. I was supposed to be headed toward the Rose Garden and instead I'm headed to the polo fields. GG Park is ginormous.

I missed the last ticket sale. Even the Academy of Sciences had closed at that point. The only food left in the area was Indian (ew) and Blue Bottle Coffee (delicious, but I'm already sleeping funny). The Japanese tea Garden was still open. Everyone and their grandmother was headed over there and it was another entrance fee. So, I called it a day. Missed the 44 - decided to walk to the 1. Rode the bus for 5 minutes until it broke down and we had to transfer to a different bus. Finally got to my home stop, walked inside and discovered that Pax had thrown up in his crate. Awesome. At least I saw the rose garden! In August. Even though it feels like Winter.

If my main goal was to have an adventure in the place I currently call home, then mission accomplished.

sweet baby to big boy...the transition...

i'm just realizing now that i never got around

to one of my intended project posts,

which was cloth diapering.

that's right.

cloth.

diapers.

we did it.

but too little too late,

we have already moved on here in our household.

yep, potty training here we come.

everyone knows we are expecting MLL to make her debut

in less than two weeks,

right?

are we crazy?

probably.

have i read all about regression when it comes to reacting to a new sibling?

you bet.

were we tired of wrestling an angry alligator

five times a day for a new diaper?

yup.

so we took the plunge and for the last 3 days we have all

been sequestered in the house for some potty training boot camp.

bml and i are going out of our minds.

So......

this afternoon we took a little break - and played.

outside. finally.

we all needed it.





p discovers rain makes mud

do you know how hard it is to find plain underwear?

hey mom and dad, want some?



getting ready to throw this at dad

getting hosed down

(sorry p that i am posting pictures of you in your "big boy pants, i hope you will understand)

sweet victory

and lastly,

i can't help but add this picture of

big boy p painstakingly removing all of the wrappers from caramels

to melt into some delicious brownie treats

for Uncle B aka RBD III.

such a little helper.

The Bells

I love talking to LDL on gchat on an almost daily basis. In fact, when I can't find her online - you know, cause she has other things going on besides sitting at her computer - I find myself in a bad mood with no outlet for my daily stories. She thinks I'm funny and I need that.

In the midst of all our moving, traveling, learning, and adventuring, we are also brainstorming on ways to make our mark in the world outside of our days jobs (mothering & engineering - LDL wins that battle). I, like twenty bazillion other people, would like to one day write a book. Not even a novel and definitely not The Next Great American Novel, but rather a small book of short stories or vignettes based on real-life.

Fast forward to the past couple of months, when my already lackluster hearing has taken a turn for the worst. It's not a funny situation to be in and I am sure there will be posts about the annoyances that occur from that later. But for now, the stories that happen to me because I can't hear much are pretty funny. The following is today's conversation with LDL.

 me:  well - one hilarious thing

do you know that I only have one bowl big enough for mixing?

 ldl:  i did not - seems you should get another bowl

 me:  so I mix dry ingredients in a ziplock and then slowly add them to the wet ones occupying my one bowl

 ldl:  hahahahaha

you should blog about that

 me:  and I use the same ziplock

 ldl:  though it surprises me, being the tree hugger you claim to be

 me:  I know. I have so many stories to tell

 ldl:  oh, that helps

 me:  me:  and I use the same ziplock

 ldl:  got it

i think it is ziploc btw

 me:  so. . . sometimes things have a little baking soda/powder/brown sugar etc and it's not supposed to

patatoe potato

here is what is REALLY hilarious

I was at jamba juice yesterday (after having spent an hour at the post office - but I did make the surly clerk laugh)

and I ordered a strawberry smoothie

the clerk behind the counter then asked me "can I have your number?"

I was SO taken a back

 ldl:  oh my gosh

 me:  aback? one word?

 ldl:  you thought he was asking for your phone number

WAS HE!?

 me:  and I said - "um. no."

 ldl:  no idea, get on with the story

 me:  and he said "well, what else can I get you?"

we are both very confused

turns out he actually said "does that complete your order"

 ldl:  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

how did that end up turning out????

i mean, its not funny that you can't hear - but that is stinking hilarious

taylor

 me:  he gave me a survey to fill out - I can win a "buy one get one free" smoothie

please send snacks

i'm pretty sure i said 3 months ago,

that i would update our 16 readers with some of my projects.

i forgot.

got busy.

with projects.

most recently,

sending RBD III some love in the shape of baked goods.

as usual,

i forgot to take photos.

but luckily for you curious readers my recipes all come from the web

so we can all pretend that what i made,

looks exactly as pictured.

week 1:  DIY Oreos

from http://www.annies-eats.net/

(side-note, i am not sure how to credit others photos and ideas etc while blogging, please don't get mad!)

these actually involved a pastry bag!

i know, can you believe it?

they are also OREO cookies...meaning, they need to be paired up.

so when i left the house for 20 minutes and came back to discover

23 cookies instead of the 24 i painstakingly prepared,

i was irritated.

at bml.

sneak.

:)

i rolled them into perfect little circles,

used the pastry bag to squeeze out the perfect amount of filling,

pressed them perfectly together -

and mistake #2...

left them on the table in a ziploc bag while i went to change the laundry.

so i came up to discover perfect p

smashing & slamming my cookies on the floor

desperately trying to open the bag.

i was irritated.

at perfect p.

precious.

hopefully they still tasted the same,

which was delicious,

to our navy friends.

 since it may be a while before one of the other siblings posts

(we are still waiting on bml to join the fun),

i'll leave you with this.

aunt t (ftd) ordered p man breakfast.

he loves her.

p.s.  sprout # 2 aka MLL is due to make her arrival in 19 days!

(and counting...please don't be late)

detour

taking a detour from our

investiture remarks,

and before we start in again on our

never ending travels -

we think you should read this

it will give you chills.

Do What I Do

A good many of you were present at, or have heard about, the investiture for RBD JR. If you hadn't, you certainly gained an appreciation for the event through the accounts of FTD and MLL. I have struggled to come up with how to find my own words to describe the event as it was the pinnacle of years spent climbing a mountain for a man who deserved to be simply placed at the top. I had the distinct honor of spending a portion of that time with a front row seat; to witness the highs and lows, the times of excitement and extreme frustration; to seemingly reach the goal, only to see it dashed upon the rocks.

There was a portion of RBD Jr's remarks where he lauded us kids as being, "exceptional people," "role models," and people who "constantly seek out new challenges and treat others with dignity, respect, kindness, and compassion." If these words are true, it is only because we all, in our own way, wish to somehow come close to the example set by him. It was easy to see by the sheer numbers present at the event, he is as well a respected man in the community, both within his profession and out, as there comes. The outpouring of love, adoration, admiration, and pride was truly moving.

Over the past few weeks, I have been helping to clean out the basement for some sort of overhaul and have come across a number of awards and plaques that have been given to RBD Jr over the years. I would say he has been in a veritable who's who of lawyers in Florida during his career, except he is in an actual who's who publication. As a kid, I once said, "I bet if my Dad stood on this car, he could touch the top of this bridge." The bridge is on the way to Amelia Island, and is well out of reach of any man, standing on a car or not. I think a more realistic statement would be, he is one of the smartest people I know.

A portion of his remarks reads as follows:

"I come to the bench at a tumultuous time in our nations’ history. Our political
discourse is marked with sharp division and rancor. We are in danger of losing
sight of the fact that the issues that unite us as a nation are far greater and
more enduring than the issues that divide us. In some respects the operation of
our government has become so dysfunctional that the confidence of the public
in our collective ability to solve problems and maintain our position in the world
as an icon of justice and equality is being undermined."

This particular excerpt from his remarks stood out to me. It has been well documented that I do not like to talk politics, especially over social media, because of the "I'm right, you're wrong or just an idiot" discourse that seems unchangeable. I have come back to these remarks many times since the investiture, and I thought, if only government officials would take a page from me, and try and be more like my dad. I have no doubt we would be in a better place if they did.

I, for one, will always try and follow his lead.

Hail to the Chief Part II

I am fairly certain that

O Captain, my Captain,

told us that the specific words were...

"Hail to the Chief cause he's the chief and he needs hailing..."

and so, to this day, those are the lyrics

I sing when I hear the tune.

Dads are never wrong,

right?

FTD captured the event pretty perfectly,

and the only real thing to add

is my adoration and admiration of

His Honor.

dear ole dad.

sweet little p thinks pretty highly of his Granddad too,

and insisted he be held while the new Judge

was taking his oath.

pretty sure Granddad didn't mind

(translation, loved every second of it, could hardly contain his joy).

p almost stole the show with his antics up front

which consisted of -

running away from his parents (a favorite new activity),

twirling his sweater over his head,

and throwing raisins all over the floor.

all of this was invisible to most of the crowd,

except the judicial bench.

awesome.

they really didn't seem to mind.

p got plenty of compliments,

but the real accolades were saved for RBD Jr.

much deserved, after a long wait.

i've said it before, but it deserves saying again,

we're proud of you dad,

we love you.

congratulations on your new title -

but to us, you'll always be:

dad

mr. skipper

granddad

pop pop

pops

mentor

friend

hero.

i'll leave the rest of you with some quotes that describe

the event, the family, etc.

from UF

"in all kinds of weather we all stick together"

and Psalm 16

 “Lord, you have assigned me my portion
and my cup. You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen
for me in pleasant places.”

we are blessed indeed.

we missed you RBD III.

stay safe.