One thing I did this weekend

My greatest challenge this weekend was taking care of my friends' twin 7 (or 9?) month old boys for 3 1/2 hours. All by my lonesome. I was unsure how I'd deal, but it all ended up ok. My friend's sister was there but she needed to leave town early to go see her own son in a show. When I got there she gave me the run-down - much more than I would ever want to know. She really didn't want to leave, but of course had to go. As she's saying that D hadn't pooped all weekend, D's standing up by the door grunting. Oh crap. Literally. Thankfully she changed him before she left (with exclamations from the other room: Oh My! It's so big! I can't believe that came out of you D! - she's a very bubbly woman)

Half hour into it, I was ready to do something to make the time go by. I tried feeding them. But getting two boys into high chairs and keeping them occupied and fed, well, it didn't last long. So then we went for a walk. But getting two boys into coats and hats and getting down the street is not easy, so it took a long time to get going.

(BTW, Yes, I know anyone with kids knows all this. But it's so hard when you don't do it day in and day out. I mean, when do you go to the bathroom??)

And then riding them around in the store, trying to gather up items to buy without crushing the boys, well, that was interesting. As was fitting the double stroller down the checkout lane.

Back at the house, they were getting grumpy so I knew either they had to be fed, had to nap, or needed a diaper change. The diaper was ok I thought. And it wasn't quite nap time. So, I decided to feed them some more. But none of this chair business. I got the food, sat on the other side of the baby grate, and fed them through the bars as they stood up. Zoo time!

THEN it was time for nap. One upstairs, one down. They screamed for a good 10 minutes and then finally it was quiet. I tried to find HGTV, my favorite station - by the time I found it - they were both screaming again. My friend had said that I should let them cry but I didn't know that meant if they woke up too early from the nap too.

So, both got up. One got a diaper change. And then I just held both - one on each leg as I sat on the floor, and let them lean against me and stop crying and hopefully sleep. When dad showed up, they were so out of it, they just kinda looked at them in a stupor. I am afraid to find out how they were the rest of the day/evening given they had such a short nap. But they survived and so did I. It's easier when you don't necessarily have to follow all the rules (like eating in a chair). I got off easy I think.

Here they are, D and B.

Perfectionism

Thanks all for your words of wisdom/thoughts. I just sometimes get overwhelmed by imperfection. Can you guess I used to be a perfectionist? Is it really possible to say that? Used to be? I like to think so. I've given it up over the years, sometimes tipping a little too far into the non-perfectionist side. Not sure that was really the case here. And not sure that I can go blame bipolar disorder 2. Truth is, I have to start stepping up to the plate more. And as I've mentioned, it's only recently that I've felt I can. Am able to. To the extent possible. Because I have good medication, but the other things rear their ugly heads. Like perfectionism. Or lack thereof. Or is it self flagellation? A little bit of that too. But I made it through the day. The world did not come to an end yet. I resisted the urge to avoid the issues and my parts in them. And I'll deal with it over the next couple days. I make it sound like I've killed someone, when all I've really done is not paid enough attention to budget reports. That are now late and impacting funds available. But truly it's not the end of the world. And lessons have been learned. I need to write them down...never forget! And move on.

I was going to write about my weekend, but I'll let that slide another day. It's late. Hope everyone is well.

Learning lessons

I have to think of all the mistakes I'm making as learning opportunities. I really do. And not get sucked into "I'm a horrible manager" way of thinking. Fuck.

Saturday Hunt - Keep

Whenever I buy shoes, I never ever know if I'm really going to keep them. These are my most recent purchase, and I still haven't decided if I should keep them. They are nice, but the toe is very very pointed, and I'm a not so pointed toe person. (But not a rounded end person for sure.) I need the color though (dark brown) and there's nothing else out there (ok in at least the one store chain I go to).

Something that makes me smile

I sat on the couch last night, with my afghan on (that my mom knit, btw). Billy was on my lap (long ways, since I was lengthwise on the couch). I had finished watching tv, and turned it off. And sat there for a little bit with my eyes closed (which is dangerous, since I can fall asleep there and hours later I wake up). I opened my eyes, and watched Billy. I have never ever seen this before. His head was up initially, but then he fell into a deeper and deeper sleep. As he did this, his head inched down, until his face was directly into the blanket. Kinda like he had gone splat. So NOT elegant for a cat, and oh so cute. Of course his butt was towards me so I didn't seeeee it see it, but it was still amazing.

Climbing day

On Saturday I went up to New Paltz. Colorful New Paltz.


I wasn't quite sure what I'd be doing, but I figured at the very least I'd go for a hike. Turns out, I thought I forgot my sports bra, so I knew I'd also have to go shopping for a new sports bra (sorry Squirrel - I found it when I got back to my mom's so technically I didn't forget it, so the counter stays where it is).

In the end, it turned out it was C and her boyfriend G, and Frenchguy, who climbs 5.13's, and me. We didn't start until noon or so, because it had rained the night before, and the rock had to dry off. Because I was the 'non-local' I was one of the first two up right away (Frenchguy was the second). G, a new climber and belayer, belayed me. I got on a 5.7PG - Thin Slabs. I did a stupid hard start, got a piece of gear in, did another stupid hard move, got a piece of gear in, but, alas fell before getting the rope up.

Now, I was pretty high, but not incredibly so. It was a judgement call whether to use the rope or address it like I was bouldering. Turns out G did neither. He pretty much literally caught me, and I rolled onto him we both fell with me on top of him. Slow motion too. Neither one of us was hurt, and C looked at us laughing hysterically. It was indeed pretty damn funny, and very very soft. I appreciated it, because either other way, I might have broken another toe, or an ankle.

So, I finished it, with one hang. I was freaked a little less from falling than from the fact it was still a little wet. And you know what, it sucks to be around someone who climbs hard, because you know that someone can get you out of a jam if need be. I had to fight the urge to have Frenchguy finish the climb and just follow. But fight I did, and was glad I did it.

We climbed another climb each (C leading one this time), and that was the day. I was really glad to get up there and had a great time. And I must say, it's been a very long time since I met someone so nice and considerate and genuinely a really great person, and even though he's French! As one example, Frenchguy had heard my story about my need for food, and when we all went to the bar after climbing, which we thought was going to be dinner, he made sure to get food so I could eat. And he wasn't interested me THAT way, he just is interested in people and wanting to be nice. No ego whatsoever. Turns out C and J and Frenchguy are going on a road trip, and I all but invited myself to meet up with them somewhere, and hope I can.

Poor dude couldn't make it up the rock.


So he went another way and Frenchguy got some great photos of him.


I like it when I do stuff on the weekends, so I have something to write about.

Booze cruise

Working backwards in time on the weekend...

Sunday was a gorgeous day, and a great day to be on the water. My friend P came with me, and it really was the perfect day for both of us. It was a weird weird, but amazingly friendly crowd. This couple we met on the way in and spent the entire cruise with. He even bought us all pizza!


So, here's one DJ, X-Ray, and another photo with both of them. I didn't really get a good photo of Glen Jones in his captain and tenille outfit.



Some of the characters we met, well, were caricatures. There was Mr. Suave, who I don't have a photo of. Seriously, he acted like he should have his shirt unbuttoned to his belly and would drive a Camaro. He walked by the group of four of us, and I saw he had a beer, and asked if he got it from the bar (we were desperate to start drinking). He turns, leans, juts out his crotch, and offers me a sip of his tequila and ice. I took it of course - why not take advantage? He was Mr. Smooth - at least he acknowledged the others, but he so wanted to get me alone to another part of the boat. Oh so tempting. But I resisted.

Then there was Mr. Clueless. Here's a photo.

I take his picture and he starts talking to me about how he knows the DJs from when they were kids. Blah blah, and mentions something about a long time ago, and that there's no way I could know about it. Then looks at my friend P, and says, well you're old enough to know, right. I just looked at P with my mouth open - Oh My God! I turned to him and said, you know we're the same age right. And instead of apologizing, he looks at P and says, there's no way you're the same age. I just looked at her, she looks at him "you know you just insulted me, right?". He still doesn't quite get that he should just run away, so I finally waved him off with a 'you're done'. Oh my god - I felt so badly.

Overall though, people were great and it was a beautiful day and they played great music. Here's the best song that came on.


So many sights. So many memories.