Sick to my stomach

I've been sick to my stomach all morning. First, though I've known about my boss's child dying, somehow, being in the office makes it more real and worse. I feel like we should all get some time off for grieving - it's been weighing on me all morning. Then, on a very different subject, I finally got around to running the tax withholding calculator and found that we will owe the IRS $11k+ in April if we continued on our current path. After lots of digging around, it seems we are being dinged for having a second income. WTF!? We can't afford to not have a second income, but we can't afford to have one either! What's the point of trying?

Kicked Back and Overtime

We had a more or less lazy day today. For much of the day, we were over at our friends' house celebrating their boy's birthday (which was actually a week ago tomorrow). The kids had plenty to keep them happy, so were mostly low maintenance for the duration. Still, we were so exhausted by the time we got home (maybe from over indulgence?) that we basically vegged out on the couch from the time we got back (a little after 3) until bed time. We watched the 4th and 5th episodes of Star Wars (which was actually the 1st and 2nd movies, right?, that came out). Yeah, with commercials, and with little kids. Caden does not like Darth Vader. Alana didn't care much one way or the other.

But now, at some past 1am, I am working on a project plan. And not getting paid. Boy, what fun. I need sleep.

Bated Breath

My boss's daughter, who turned 4 a few weeks ago, is dying. She has Tay-Sachs; they found out when she was about 6 months old. They had adopted her from Guatamala, after having had a difficult pregnancy with their first child. This is probably her last week on earth. He was in Monday and briefly yesterday. He will be out until 10/11. They update their blog regularly, as they have quite a following of concerned family and friends. I keep checking, and I hold my breath as the page loads....

The Morning After

it's always disappointing to wake up one morning and find that your pregnant fish is no longer pregnant and no one in the tank is hungry.

Rumbly Tumbly

One moment I was dreaming, the next I was wide awake and listening to the rumbling approach of an earthquake. Another moment later, the quake shook the house much as an El would have, had we had one traveling overhead, and disappeared in as many moments as it would have taken the El to move past. I hopped out of bed to check on the kids, found Chris sleeping with Alana (when did he relocate? I didn't recall hearing her wake). He was still sleeping, so I shook him awake to tell him we had an earthquake.

I went back to bed but lay there wide awake listening for more rumbles and thinking, I didn't get Lasik done in time.

Sushi for Dinner

Once upon a time, many, many years ago, I tried my hand at making sushi. California rolls, to be exact. Being a novice, I didn't think to wrap the bamboo roller in plastic, or prime it (or anything else!) with the vinegar water. I don't remember how the rolls ended up, but I do remember finally tossing the roller into the trash after maybe an hour of trying to scrub the rice out from between the sticks. Needless to say, I did not rush back into a second effort.

Tonight, in an attempt to consume sushi more cost effectively, I bought all the right things and all the makings for Cali rolls, Alaskan rolls, and salmon sashimi. (Well, that last one was easy! :D) I spent an hour in the supermarket hunting for the goods, and then another 2 hours in the kitchen putting everything together. That vinegar water sure is a miracle worker. I think if I could have bathed in it to make the process easier, I would have.

When I finally had a chance to taste the fruits of my labor, I was super pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was!! Whoo hoo! Too bad, though, it took so long and so much effort to pull together. Between that and the rampant mess my 2-y.o. daughter made of the kani and rice, I think sushi at home will have to wait another few years to become a truly cost effective option.