Works · for · Me

The last few years, last year in particular, my mood has absolutely tanked around Father's Day. It puzzled me a bit. My dad's been gone for almost 13 years and, though I miss him, the circumstances of his life at the time of his death made his passing somewhat easier to deal with.

So why is Father's Day bothering me so much *now*? I finally realized that it's because of the other father that is missing in my life -- not my father, but the father of *my* children. Depressing, but at least it makes sense now.

Got some good shots of my cat using the servo function on my new Xti

(Most of the newly added commentary is towards the end)

Today

Sylvia needs more incentive to get out of bed in the mornings. It's only going to get worse when it cools off enough to use the down comforter again.
8:23am
Yesterday

Sylvia loves To The Best of Our Knowledge!
10:59am

Sylvia has finally seen the Irish Brigade! (And spotted Mano in cougar country.).
12:46am

Sylvia has finally seen the Irish Brigade!
12:43am
August 2

Sylvia is running late.
8:48pm

Sylvia enjoyed seeing the Odyssey @ Grandel Theater. They did some interestng things with the production.
2:20am
August 1

Sylvia has already spotted Halloween-themed merchandise in a store.
12:17pm

Sylvia wishes everyone a happy Friday!
9:58am
July 31

Sylvia is going to invite her cat to a nap.
8:38pm

Sylvia thinks it's nice when expectations and reality coincide. Especially when paychecks are involved.
3:41pm

Sylvia wants to remember carrot and quince.
10:26am
July 29

Sylvia has been having fun folding a Fuller Projection map of the world into an icosahedral pseudo-globe.
7:01pm
July 28

Sylvia needs a well-paid part time job so she can afford maid service and regular visits to a masseur.
10:54pm

Sydney Woehler at 6:22pm July 29
Amen sista! Maybe someday my art will make enough money so I can get a massage at least once a month.
July 27

Sylvia is admiring the head shot of John Grisham in the back of Playing for Pizza and otherwise being a slug. That last bit really needs to stop.
9:29pm

Sylvia just went to the gym for the first time in a couple of months.
10:52am
July 24

Sylvia just passed a chicken (a live one) in the middle of the street I live on. I feel like I just drove through a joke.
7:02pm

Sylvia got a new phone line and some sort of connection box. Cable people are being annoying. (Such a surprise!).
10:59am
July 22

Sylvia 's got a new power line, but phone and cable are still down. The phone line snapped. Cable (which I don't get anyway) is just loose.
6:20pm

Sylvia is amazed she still has power. Tree limb pulled down the line, pulled meter away from house.
10:35am

Sylvia just lost power, but seems to be back on now. Quite a storm!
1:35am
July 21

Sylvia rounded off her vacation with dinner at Bici with the St. Louis Dinner Club.
10:35pm

Sylvia is hot and sweaty, but happy to be home, nonetheless. Had a great time in Ann Arbor!
3:01pm
July 20

Sylvia just got back from seeing the movie Gonzo. Documentary of a crazy, f*ing life.
11:05pm

Sylvia is looking forward to homemade yogurt with fruit and granola for breakfast.
7:39am
July 19
The friend I was visiting has an Indian boyfriend. He introduced her to homemade yogurt, but they use a culture derived from one smuggled back from India. I was experimenting this past weekend to see if plain Dannon could compare. It's close, but I would have to agree that the Indian yogurt is better, though there's still the possibility that it's just fresher and that's why I liked it better. Have you ever seen *sweetened* plain yogurt in a store here? Seems like it's either completely plain or sweetened AND vanilla flavored.

Sylvia 's gotta love a town with a chocolate shop that's open til 11 & has live music.
10:28pm
July 18
Shockolad, I think was the name of the place. Went there after going to see the play "The Little Dog Barked".

Sylvia has learned that chickens can run 9 mph.
4:27pm
I was walking from the art fair across part of the Michigan campus that I believe is called the "Diag" and passed some sort of trivia contest.

Sylvia is at Door 402.
8:59am
July 17
That's actually where you are instructed to wait for the Michigan Flyer if you're at the McNammara terminal. There's just a little blue sign saying Door 402 over sliding glass doors leading out into the parking garage. The Flyer was a very nice shuttle. More like a charter bus than one of those little hotel shuttles. For $15 it will take you from the Detroit airport to Ann Arbor.

Sylvia invites any early risers out there to call me between 4:30 and 5am CST tomorrow (Fri).
9:01pm
I had an early flight and was afraid I'd miss the plane.

Sylvia is engaged in her usual round of brinksmanship with the alarm clock.
7:26am
July 16

Sylvia seems to be sick and is supposed to be going out of town for the weekend. Not good.
8:13pm
Allergies? Respiratory infection? Not sure, but doc apparently decided to treat all of the above. Ended up on two inhalers and antibiotics, but it did make the trip manageable and cleared up the ronchi(sp?).

Sylvia left her cell phone at home and feels nekked without it.
1:08pm
July 15

Sylvia needs to start getting ready for the trip to Ann Arbor.
7:36am
July 14

Sylvia is not ready for any day of the week let alone Monday.
8:02am
July 13

Sylvia is still spending way too much time playing cell phone games.
6:59pm

Sylvia is spending way too much time playing cell phone games.
12:58pm
July 12

Sylvia went salsa dancing. Got some video of rueda using my cell phone, but the audio SUCKS.
1:30am
My old Treo600 had beautiful sound from it's speaker, but no voice or video recorder. The new Centro has a voice memo recorder and the camera does video but the sound is maybe a step down from those greeting card speakers.

July 11

Sylvia can freak out her cat by simply following it around the house.
11:56am
She follows me around all the time. You'd think she would take it in stride, but no! She gets quite disturbed and tends to go in loose circles if I try to follow her.

Sylvia is having a hard time getting to sleep. Got disturbing news from a couple people late tonight.
12:04am
July 10

Sylvia is dreaming up choreography for the Bellagio fountains to the tune of Wipeout.
8:58am
July 9

Sylvia is pondering what constitutes American culture.
9:06am
July 8

Sylvia struck up a conversation with a guy on the Metrolink who said he designed the south county extension. Seemed odd that he claimed today was the first time he'd ridden the Metro from the airport. Should have skipped my stop and kept talking with him. Oh well.
6:13pm
July 7

Sylvia is experiencing a new kind of knee pain that she sincerely hopes is short-term.
10:09pm
July 6
It was short-term, but it's been back for a couple of short-term encores. Not sure what to make of that.

Sylvia was surprised by Hancock.
6:21pm

Sylvia is going to see Hancock.
11:27am
July 5

Sylvia is not going to the roller derby.
6:15pm
July 2
Yes, there is an active roller derby league in the area. My friend's that have been there made the matches sound fun (in a freak show kind of way). Plus I think one of my neighbors is on one of the teams.

Sylvia almost baled hay today.
7:42pm
One circle of friends includes people who's family owns a farm that has been something of a hold out amidst urban sprawl. It's literally a stone's throw from one of those big box retail conglomerations. Most of the group helps out when it's time to bale hay. I was going to try to help this year, but weather and schedules didn't cooperate. Somehow, even growing up in a rural area and having Grandparents that farmed, I have never yet baled hay.

Sylvia is doing absolutely nothing of interest. Thought you'd want to know.
9:30am
June 27

Sylvia has been run ragged by the cousins. Headed home to collapse from exhaustion. It was fun, though.
5:15pm
June 26

Sylvia is taking tomorrow off to go to City Museum with my cousins.
9:52pm
If you are ever in St. Louis you really need to check this place out (and maybe take a peek at the Arch). Just wear comfortable shoes that won't come off easily and clothes you can be upside down in. A helmet of some sort wouldn't be completely out of line, though most people do without. It's just not your typical 'museum'.

Sylvia wants to know if there's a restaurant on/near Washington Ave that's suitable for kids and unadventerous eaters. (Cousins are coming to town.).
7:11am
June 25
Fitz's worked really well for this though it's not in the Washington Ave area. Fitz's is a local rootbeer place with diner-esque cuisine, but they also serve kids meals in little car shaped paper trays. That seemed to be a hit with the 4 year old.

Sylvia is bidding a co-worker a fond farewell.
4:53pm
June 24
That was a bit of a bummer. We had this great postddoc join the lab. He quickly made friends in the lab and worked like a dog. Unfortunately his wife (an MD) got matched in New York City. I have to admit, though, that my inner feminist was pleased to see a guy making significant sacrifices for his wife's career. I wish them all the best, but miss having him in the lab.

Sylvia is trying to get faster at solving sudoku puzzles (aka avoiding housework). Guess which was more successful...
9:42pm
I'm still completely addicted. I probably spend 30-90 minutes/day on sudoku. Just recently I feel like there's been a shift in the way I view the screen. Like it's easier for me to see an entire line or box without moving my eyes.

Sylvia just had an ergonomics evaluation.
3:14pm
June 23
The results of the evaluation seemed fairly pointless at first glance, largely because of how the report was written. I went back again and winnowed out the useful bits. It's been some help, but not enough and now I need to go see my doctor. Well, not MY doctor. He won't see me for fear of this turning into a workman's comp case! That is not my intent at this time, but nothing like pervasive C.Y.A. to make you want to F*** someone over.

Sylvia is feeling reclusive.
4:39pm

Unfortunately I lost a few between this paste and the last one. :-(

My mood tanked Sunday before last and has stayed down despite some prodding. Guess I'll give it another week or so and then start taking something for it. I have a current prescription left over from the depression vs sleep apnea debate. Why do I always (last several years, anyway) end up feeling depressed in the summer? Isn't S.A.D. supposed to be a response to winter? This year it's a bit early. I usually notice it around mid-July.

When it comes to housework, I instantly revert to the you-can't-make-me rebellion of youth. It doesn't seem to matter that I'm now rebelling against myself.

My latest strategy is to try to harness my social drive to motivate action on the domestic front. Granted, inviting half a dozen friends over to dinner would probably be more effective, but I wasn't quite prepared to inflict that level of stress on myself. Instead, I've been divying up tasks into groups worthy of X numbers of social outings. Except for four or so events I've already RSVP'd for, I'm not supposed to accept invitations until I've earned the outing. So far, this has been spectacularly ineffective. I would declare it a complete failure except that I haven't broken any of the self-imposed rules yet. Instead, it's just a battles of wills with only one weapon shared between the two sides.

Sylvia is in early to prepare for the annual lab clean-up.
6:08am
June 10

Sylvia witnessed a fist fight on the Metrolink.
10:53pm
June 9

Sylvia is looking forward to the Saxquest Grand Opening!
6:48pm
June 8

Sylvia remembered half a key lime pie is still in the car after going to bed (but before putting the phone aside).
1:08am
June 7

Sylvia thinks Jeannie needs to start a blog.
11:44pm

Sylvia has been parboiled by an afternoon at the Gardens.
7:58pm
June 5

Sylvia recently discovered Brett Dennen. Great lyrics!
6:19pm
June 4

Sylvia is browsing a list of what seems to be every search I've done on Google on the computer at work. It just popped up.
7:49pm

Sylvia needs a night at home with nothing to do.
1:34pm
May 31

Sylvia - salsa dancing, Sex and the City, and RenFest all in one weekend! Oh my!
2:38pm

Sylvia is getting a slow start this morning...er... afternoon.
1:34pm
May 22

Sylvia is having a dandy day! (not).
7:09pm

Sylvia is frustrated by unsuccessful Palm data transfer!
11:15am
May 20

Sylvia highly recommends Off the Vine (2605 Hampton). Everything our group tried was delicious (except the roasted beets).
10:32pm
May 19

Sylvia enjoyed a fancy salad with smoked duck, blood oranges, fried onions, and a pomegranet dressing. Sounds odd, but yummy!
10:46pm
May 18

Sylvia just spent two hours exploring Sioux Passage park. Great day for it.
1:06pm
May 17

Sylvia is woozy from being online almost all day.
11:17pm

Sylvia is playing with her new phone.
10:05pm
May 16

Sylvia enjoyed a gorgeous stroll around the grand basin in Forest Park. Watched a wedding, ducks in flight, and a rehersal of Shakespeare.
7:00pm
May 15

Sylvia is happy she saw Chuck Berry in concert. He's still a great performer!
5:42pm
May 14

Sylvia is getting over a cold.
11:45am
May 1

Sylvia is buying a reel lawn mower.
6:07pm
April 29

Sylvia is having fun eavesdropping on squid researchers in New Zealand.
8:03pm

Sylvia is debating whether to watch the colossal squid dissection webcast from Te Papa.
10:09am
April 28

Sylvia is wondering about Grilled Cheese Thursday.
10:36am
April 14

Sylvia is planning a getaway to a cabin in the woods.
8:59pm
April 11

Sylvia is wishing she could afford a cruise on the Delta Queen.
4:58pm

local hikes -> making a handy google map -> “Hey! There’s a trail on the way home!” -> “What the heck is that giant building I see in the satellite image next to the park?” -> street name based search to identify name of apartment building or is it a nursing home?-> Article linking it to a Wash U benefactor -> Address based search of tax records -> recently sold, so “Who actually owns that LLC?” -> …[insert blur of SEC filings and collateral businesses]… -> business journal article describing head guy-> “Huh, he’s not bad looking and he’s near my age. Wonder if he’s single?” -> web search using his name -> to article on high mountain biking mentioning him and female with same odd surname-> another business journal write up and trying to figure out biz journals would portray successful slumlord vs benevolent low income housing management -> “What the heck does ‘post-mark-to-market’ mean?” -> http://bondguy1824.blogspot.com/

If you too would like to waste many hours of your life see if you can figure out what the odd surname was just from what you know about me and what I've said above!

The high Sunday: 78 degrees F
The weather today (Tuesday): heavy snow & freezing fog

This is at least the third time since Christmas that we've gone from highs in the seventies to some sort of frozen precipitation in less than 2 full days.

Killer Stapler of Caerbannog -- saw it on some toy directory page (http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=2565). Good for a chuckle. What I was actually looking for was the name of those little toy cars that were popular in the ...uh... 80s maybe? You put a penny in the back and pulled them back to wind up the "engine" and they'd take off and pop a wheelie. What the heck are those things called??

Also LOL over the name Waxahatchie (a town in Texas). I can't help picturing someone polishing a small hatchet with glee.

Waxahatchie came up during a discussion of Dr. Pepper from Texas (and perhaps Waco in particular) being different than what can be had around here (unless you know the guy I met at Mardi Gras who brings a trunk-full back with him whenever he goes to Texas.)

Dr. Pepper came up as part of a discussion of sodas you can use to make BBQ which we were discussing because I'd had some yummy ribs done in a root beer BBQ sauce last night at a restaurant called Terrene ( http://www.terrene-stlouis.com/ )

Also had some surprisingly tasty pineapple basil sorbet at Terrene (from Serendipity, a local ice-cream place that gets very creative. Terenne also offered another Serendipity sorbet -- cranberry pinot noir-- that was also very tasty.)

Day 5 without Diet Coke (I've done this before, haven't I?) and I'm finally feeling normalish again. Had headaches almost all day Sunday and Monday and had been feeling drowsy much of the time, too. Caffeine withdrawal sucks.