In which....

...I have too much coffee, and the Project Manager has a cold.

This is actually a recollection of a blog post I wrote last night that
was lost to a non-specific error when I tried to post it.

The PM was asleep beside me, in a fitful fashion, despite the
solicitous attitudes of the Trio Of Idiots, and I was in a
caffeine-induced euphoric state.
I had done some extra work and was reflecting on the peace of mind
that doing the work had created, even though it wasn 't particularly
substantial.

The reflection was basically this: doing a little work before bed,
even a token amount, was more restful than resting.

Booze! Or the lack thereof

As a result of the you-know-what-wink-wink the Project Manager and I have given up drinking.
Prior to this, we were known to have a social drink or five, and it's been a gradually growing source of worry, so this is a good thing on a few levels.

Here's the weird part: we are both really hungry and really thirsty since. The PM's theory is that a couple of pints a day is pretty close to another meal, and it's a pretty serious dose of fluids.

Whodathunk?

A new chapter dawns!

So, gentle reader, we have come to a time where I must ask you to keep a secret. Not for long; only until Christmas.

If you are unable to keep a secret, perhaps due to some piece of WWII shrapnel embedded in your frontal lobes, please stop reading now and click this link. It will amuse you.

Are they gone? Is it just us here now? Excellent. Where was I?

Oh yeah! The Project Manager and I are pregnant. Well, teeeeechnically, she is pregnant. I am just proud.

We are due at the end of June, 2012, so we're still in that period where 50% of first pregnancies end (thus it is not a sure thing by any means).

The blood test is done and the results are on their way, the first doctor's appointment is booked for early November (I'm not invited, btw) and all in all things are good.

The Project Manager is alternately freaked out and ecstatic, often within the same sentence. She has always worried about her abilities as a parent, but I have 100% faith that we will be fine.
She's also worried about how our lifestyle will change, but I maintain it will change less than we think. We entertain at home a lot; you can do that with a baby. We both drink beer; you can do that at home (after the baby is born). We both like the theatre; Babysitters can be had.

The plan after the baby's arrival is that The PM will take off a small few months (number TBD) and then I will take parental leave for an appropriate period to cover until formal childcare arrangements can be made. These arrangements will likely include some cobination of Aunts and Uncles, Grandmas, and compressed work weeks.

So how are you?

The problem with parenting

Is that when your kids make mistakes, you feel as if you made them!

The Boy missed a workshift today because he didn't pay attention to what he was supposed to be doing. So he has no one to blame but himself, and I trust that he knows he made a big mistake, so I'm am fighting the urge to make sure he knows he made a mistake. He KNOWS he did, I don't need to remind him.

Also, it's not really something I can control, can I?

Too busy to breathe

Hi Blog! Long time no see!

The Project Manager and I are about to move back into Isambard on Thursday, and that will be wonderful. I mean, condo living is ok, but to have a porch, and a basement, and large well-lit rooms... I can't wait.

The Project Manager has been very anxious about the move (as it's her condo that she is leaving) but she is MUCH happier today because... the cleaner has been in and has cleaned, literally, every crevice. For a house that has been vacant for 14 months, she looks pretty good. All is smiley emoticons.

Work is incredibly busy, but I get enough small stuff done that no one notices the big stuff I'm missing. I hope once I'm not spending each moment driving and moving and building, that I will get more done and be more focused.

I've always had a very strong tie to the Place That I Live, and it's neat to see how my brain seems to work better while I'm there. I think that means I'm dumbing as I age.

Mmm, pretty colours.

I have spent some $ and time over the last two years on my emotional development, etc., and one of the neat parts of this is the comfort and meta-emotion that my emotions cause me.

As an example, I have had a hell of a go-round with Someone, and I was able, at the end of it, to feel and enjoy the goosebumps and endorphin rush that that engendered, and remain somewhat normal while FEELING the anger, as opposed to fleeing away from it.

I think, with a thermal camera, one could have seen the heat coming off me. Heck, it felt like my beard was standing up.

It made the world look all overexposed and white; like there was a huge white LED casting its light everywhere, possibly emanating from inside me.

Plus it helped that the Project Manager was very helpful and said all the right things afterwards. Whether she believed what she said is immaterial; she said to me the things I needed to hear at the time. This is very supportive.