&%@$# the Money

My grandma used to say that all the time.  If there was some little thing she wanted to do, and she had the cash, she would do it.  It's only money.

We learned a valuable lesson about this eight years ago.  Close friends of ours were getting married soon.  The IBEW had no work for hubby, with none in sight.  Times were tough.  I was six months pregnant with our youngest, and we still had one in diapers.  We didn't have enough in the budget to write out a nice check for a wedding present, especially according to hubby's code of honor which means you have to at least "pay for your plate" at a fancy affair.  With heavy hearts, we sent regrets.  

Our friends begged us to reconsider.  &%@$# the money, they said.  It wouldn't be right for them to miss us on their special day just because we couldn't write a check.  It was the event that mattered.  We got lots of phone calls about it, and finally the groom spoke with hubby and got their strong message across.  Our friendship is priceless.  Reflecting on that gave us great perspective, which was wonderful timing as we were about to bring another child into the world.  We attended the wedding, and they were very emotional in their appreciation.

Why am I telling this story?  I recalled this situation because we know someone who is now struggling with a similar dilemma.  I thought it was a good opportunity to tell all my friends that their friendship is priceless.  And always will be.

So What's Not to Love?

A close pal of mine forwarded this article about U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu going on record as saying that he's a nerd.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5536QM20090604

What I want to know is:  what's so bad about that?  In Chu's case, he's 15th in line to the presidency.  He has security detail.  He won a Nobel Prize.  He gave the address at Harvard's commencement ceremony (where he admitted to being a card carrying nerd).

Maybe it's because I _am_ a nerd and have always been one, but I think nerds can be pretty cool (OK OK so this is like maternity fashion and jumbo shrimp).  We are usually straight up about things because we don't have the savvy or interest to play relationship games.  We're smart.  We don't blow the monthly budget on fashion or sports car payments...and we make good money doing sci/tech jobs.  Often we have a great sense of humor, if you're quick enough to catch it and you're immersed enough in nerd culture to understand the references.  At a moment's notice we can drop whatever we're doing and give you the grail to solving your Sudoku, Jumble, or crossword.  If you're lucky enough to be loved and respected by a nerd, we're very loyal.  Unless you turn traitor, and then we will come up with some diabolical plan to make you wish you were never born.  Nyuk nyuk nyuk.  (Whoops, I was just kidding about that last part.  As far as you know.)  We get to do neat things like give speeches at graduations (I, as salutatorian, spoke at my own) and tune up the band before concerts (this was my twelve year old son, the music and academic nerd).

I do admit that, as a teen, it seemed as though the people with the "right" clothes and "right" friends had it all going on.  Later I found out that quite a few of them admired the nerds, because they were allowed to be themselves and do what they loved instead of spending lots of time worrying about trying to fit in and keep up with the popular kids.  

Had I been at Harvard yesterday, I would've given Chu a standing ovation.  Give it up for the nerds!  And take another look at all the nerds in your life to see what else they have to offer you.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

What Sharp Teeth You Have, Mom and Dad!

Waiting at a traffic light this morning, on the way to take Son #3 to before school care, I spotted a bumper sticker in the window of a plain white van in the other lane.

Please forgive me.  I was raised by wolves.

After I stopped laughing, I wondered what the driver would look like.  Unfortunately, the van turned right at the light before I could see into the front.  If you spot this vehicle, let me know.

Should I Feel Guilty?

Just talked with hubby before getting ready to head home from work.  He reported that 1) Son #1 called his clarinet tutor to cancel his lesson because he has some gunk on his instrument that must be cleaned by our friend at the music store...right now it doesn't sound too good; and 2) Son #2's soccer coach called to cancel practice, since it's begun to rain there (I work 40 minutes away so can't tell what the weather is at home unless I ask).  THIS means we have nowhere to chauffeur kids around this evening; our normal pick up/drop off tasks interfere with dinner etc.  

I feel an intense relief at this news.  And a slight pang of guilt because I'm relieved that two kid activities were cancelled.  :-)   That's OK.  I have to make a dessert tonight for our company picnic tomorrow.  Yes I do suffer from volunteer disease.  As if I weren't busy enough.  LOL.

Lovely Huntington Harbor

We had the pleasure of being invited to a friend's 40th birthday party on Sunday afternoon.  This was the view of the harbor and the garden out the back door of the catering hall.  Oh yeah I guess there's one picture each of hubby and me as well.  Some view.  :-)

Where's Tonto?

After dinner, I parked in the lot at Home Depot (to buy another can of paint, what else?!?) and diagonally across from me was a Ford Expedition with a very entertaining license plate.  It's even more so, because I work with physicists and chemists.  

HI YO AG

Committing...

Most of this weekend has been a blur.  Friday night I began painting our bedroom at around 8:00, and with breaks for eating, sleeping (OK not much), and soccer games, I finished the last coat (the ceiling) at 10:00 Sunday morning.  Light tan walls, pretty pink trims.  Hubby was getting really cranky about having to sleep on the living room couch for two nights.  I had to pull the pad off the other couch and into Son #2's room just to get a second REM cycle both nights, because of hubby's "heavy breathing" (because he will tell you militantly that he does not snore).  Ceiling fans only help so much as white noise.  But it's done, and now all of the bedrooms are.  Next stop, living room.  Not sure whether it will be this coming week, or whether it will wait until after the US Open (bracing ourselves).

We had a good chuckle at dinner on Friday.  We went to Ciminelli's, a very good neighborhood Italian place if you're ever in or near Bethpage, NY.  Hubby was having a heart to heart with the two older kids about approaching manhood (again) and how they should conduct themselves, as a reflection of how their parents raised them (hopefully).  He was trying to convey a father's desperation when taboo behaviors are repeated in public situations.  Instead of saying that he feels like committing harakiri, he said that he sometimes feels like committing beriberi.  (Guess we'd better stock up on whole grains and veggies!)  I thought maybe the ghost of Yogi Berra had come for a visit.  Hubby does stumble upon other malapropisms on occasion.  I have to remember to blog about them more often...