Stunned

I went online today to check out reviews of an adoption agency that we are thinking of using.  One of the comments on the review site dropped my jaw to the floor.  It was directed to a woman who had recently adopted, so while it wasn't said specifically to me the sting I felt was though it had been.  I can't believe that there are people out there who honestly feel this way about women who cannot get pregnant. 

If it is too small to read, click on it and it will get bigger. 

At it again

Our crazy downstairs neighbor is at it again.  You may remember this little gem.  (Re: walking too heavy)  Then comes today (bear in mind this isn't the only contact we have with her...she is always sending me emails with random questions).  I took the day off to spend with my sweetie.  He had to work all weekend and I had to work some of it.  I wanted to spend time with him...and there were a few projects I've been meaning to work on but just haven't had the time (I work 6 days a week).   I spent the majority of the day cutting fabric squares for a quilt and earlier this evening after I had them all laid out I started sewing.  I thought nothing of it...until I got yet another passive-aggressive email from our downstairs neighbor:

Hi You Two - For 2 hours now I've been dying of curiosity about where the sound is coming from that sounds like a distant or muted jack-hammer.  For a while I thought it was coming from my former hair salon next door, esp. since I've seen some activity over there lately.  I just can't determine where it's coming from or why it's going on late on a week night. You know I'm a night owl so, being only 11PM, it's not keeping me awake but I bet it's keeping a few people awake.  
Do you have a clue what it is or was ?   
Deb   773 764-****

Here's the thing...she obviously knows it is coming from above her (meaning us) ...so she KNOWS it's us...but yet she plays dumb.  I didn't honestly think it was making much noise...it is a sewing machine, not a jackhammer!  I have seriously had just about all I can take from her.

Normally this wouldn't bother me...in fact, we've gotten quite a few little passive aggressive emails from her over the last 18 months and most of them I just ignore.  But today my emotions are teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown (can't get into it today...not nearly enough time) and this STUPID email just set me off.  Nathan has long since gone to bed (he is a mere 30 feet from the "muted jackhammer" and he is sleeping just fine!) and so here I sit...on my big chair, typing through tears.  I {love} Chicago and I {love} our apartment...but I am beginning to {{HATE}} living above this crazy woman.

Walking Softly

The other night the lady who lives in the condo below us emailed me. No kidding....and I swear I didn't change ONE word, I just cut and pasted the text (I didn't copy over the footprint clipart that she put in the message...thought I'd leave that out). Just a little background: we don't wear shoes in our apartment. They come off right inside the door and go on as we're walking out. I try and always be conscious of our neighbors, I don't play the piano - which makes me sad :( - I don't stomp around, I keep the volume down on the TV and radio, don't take baths late at night (I'm worried the tub jets will be too loud), I yell at Besta if he walks around a lot (his claws make sounds on the hardwood floor) etc. I thought we were being VERY considerate.

Without further ado:


Hello Holly & Nathan –
Happy Summer to You ! I’m wondering if you’re walking heavier the past 2 or 3 weeks or if I’m just imagining it. Maybe I’m just getting more tired of hearing footsteps on my ceiling. As I told you before you moved in, it sounds like thunder even if you walk lightly without shoes on. It DOES help if you don’t put the full weight of your body on your heal with each step. I’m guessing that having a lot of furnishings has kept down the echo and that any type of carpeting muffles the thumping. Maybe you’ve become comfortable living here and thought I wasn’t noticing any noise. I’m very happy if you’ve become comfortable living here and don’t want to rain on your parade. I will continue to say, though, that all soft foot-stepping is greatly appreciated. Please do some kind of rhythmic tap on the floor if I’m being too loud down here, okay?
Good Cheer & Peace to You,
Deb in 305


Can you believe it? I'm not sure what we should do...get 6" padded slippers to slide around on? Slither around on our bellies? Install high-tech harnesses on tracks on the ceiling?

Sad

It is sad that in a great country like ours that things like this happen. It is sad that after how far we've come there are those who pull back on the reigns of progress. It is sad that someone would be in fear of losing their job because of the column in which they cast their vote.

That someone is me. I have noticed over the last months that some people in the office stopped socially talking to me...sure if they needed a report or needed something they would ask...but the chit-chat was gone. I am not stupid. I know that the reasons are politically motivated. One person said they couldn't believe I was stupid enough to vote the way I did. And I admit I have made my fair share of barbs at the other side...but to go as far as ignoring the person...THAT is something I would never do. Abby & Ryann and I disagree on politics, in fact we got into a heated discussion over 9-11...but we still read each others blogs and post comments and we are still friends. We can respectfully acknowledge someone's differing opinion.

This morning I was told, by a friend, about something that happened yesterday...and I am now afraid I could actually lose my job over this vote. I am scared to talk to anyone, scared to walk down the hall...I have noticed a VERY perceptible shift in the way I am treated...

I hope this is just a case of "we-lost-the-election" blues and they will get over it.

Gotta get out of here

We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood...and for the most part everyone just keeps to themselves. BUT there are 4 or 5 neighbor kids who don't get the concept of OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY...when we first moved in they were always running through the yard...which would be one thing if we lived close to all other neighbors, but our yard is almost ENTIRELY fenced in...save for a small piece on either side of the driveway...you can't get to anyone else's yard from our yard...

Today the kids were playing on the front fence (which we have asked them repeatedly NOT to do and they broke off 2 of the 'pickets'....grrrr....Nathan handled it pretty well, I, on the other hand FREAKED OUT....it is not cheap fencing, it is that way overpriced vinyl stuff (the previous owners put it in, not us)

We have asked them to stay out of the yard and off the fence and away from the dog - because the last thing we need is for Besta to bite someone...but they just don't....so what should we do?!?

hmmm...

well, I have to admit, the 'self obsorbed' comment threw me a bit...and the more research I have done, the more surprised I have been...the person who left that comment has frequented my blog...for a while, in fact they checked it this morning.... I have their IP address and know what city and state they reside in...and all I can say is SHAME ON YOU. p.s. it is spelled Absorbed....just for the next time you feel like being a jerk and leaving uncalled for comments in someone else's blog



All nastiness aside, we had an ok Christmas...ate lots...played games with siblings...ate more, etc. I used some Christmas $$ to get me the Cricut...which is totally awesome and will make scrapbooking SO much easier. I also got the mixer I have been wanting for 2 years now so I am pretty excited.

In other great news, I gave my notice at the baby & jewelry stores today. I just can't work there any longer...I need a job where I can be of more use...where I can put to use the skills I have gained over the years...plus they are psychotic....so I am on the job junt yet again....hopefully we'll have more luck this time!

I would like to thank those of you who posted nice comments...and Ryann, I've checked your blog and see no new entries...so I am hoping that means a new little one for you and Terry and the girls! :) :)

Have we become that society?!?

...do we live in a society where we have gotten SO impersonal that we no longer care about the other human beings around us?!?

I feel like we have become so immune to the feelings of others that we are just plain rude. I have this one friend who says things that just make you think..."did you even think about that before you said it?" and the fact that we have lived in our new house for OVER 6 months and yet we still feel like visitors...or that we don't hold the door open for people or say thank you or please....and strangers who make harsh judgemental comments about you or your lifestyle...or people just looking the other way with dishonesty...

gosh, what kind of world do we live in...come on people.

Called the Police?!?

so tonight we got home after the football game and we were playing with Besta in the front yard and a cop pulls around the cul-de-sac very slowly and stops in front of our house and gets out. He came up to us and asked us if we just got home - and said someone had called in a report that a dog was making a whole 'lot of ruckus' and it was in 'this' cul-de-sac...we explained to him that Besta whines, but doesn't bark - and asked if the caller had specified which the dog was doing...cause if it was Besta we need to nix that asap...but he said it was barking...and I know there are a couple dogs that bark ALL THE TIME just through the fence from us and I wonder if it was them...

It kinda pisses me off...it makes me hate our neighborhood even more...so next time that Mexi-pop music starts at 8am on a Sunday I am calling the cops...

Updates!! Updates!!

I love school!! I have loved being back on campus the last few days... :) Although I am generally the oldest one in all my classes and I am older than one of my teachers...he he...

I decided to drop my calculus class - mostly because my teacher can hardly speak English and all the other sections of the course are full...so I will wait until Spring semester...I am not racist or anything I just find it hard to concentrate on learning CALCULUS (yuck!) when I am trying so hard just to understand what my teacher is 'actually saying'...

Even without calc I think I will have a busy schedule - my Economics teacher actually told us on the first day that he didn't expect anyone in the class to get above a 90%...talk about discouraging...and my International Politics/Relations teacher warned us about the work load and suggested strongly that we consider that and drop the class if necessary...so I think I will still be plenty busy.

Having a laptop in class has been SO great...I can take much more efficient notes now because I can type faster than I can write! I just have to make sure to get to class early enough to sit by a power outlet so my battery doesn't go dead!




Work is ok...I just wish I didn't have to work at all...maybe someday...or maybe I could work somewhere where what YOU do is valuable and important to the organization - you don't just clock in, sell/make stuff and clock out..



I am slightly worried...I am almost 2 weeks late and I haven't taken a test yet because it would be not so good to be pregnant right now because we have NO health insurance...and I worry that it is positive and I will lose the baby again - I don't have any symptoms except EXTREME fatigue, which could very well be from starting school this week...to give you an example of how tired I am - I came home from school Tuesday and thought I would take a quick nap before doing homework - I fell asleep at about 5:45pm and woke up Wednesday at 8:30am...that is some sleep! And I slept SOLID the whole night, which is rare, I usually toss and turn. I wondered if anyone else out there had NO symptoms but was actually pregnant??



I miss Rhode Island...simply put. I miss the friends we made and restaurants we used to eat at and our congregation at church there and the smell of the air and sound of the harbor at night...all of it... I was having a really tough time Sunday and at one point a woman came and sat next to me and asked how my new job was (I was shocked anyone actually even remembered) and how we were liking it - I could barely hold back the tears when I said we were having a hard time adjusting...we both have family here but we have no friends - well we have met one couple at church, but they are not close friends (not yet, hopefully eventually)...no one we can call to go to a movie or come over for dinner...and it is not for lack of trying - we just don't fit in the normal 'mold' for couples our age here...we have no kids where most have at least 1...and they all congregate together and we feel excluded...also several things that should be happening at church aren't...the leader of the Men's group has yet to introduce himself to Nathan - and we should be having monthly visitors - both for me individually and for us as a family - and none yet... I was trying to schedule choir practice and I made an announcement that we would rehearse right after church and a couple of women 'ganged' up on me and said they had always practiced at 4:30 and that's how it would be...I reminded them that I sent a survey to all interested choir members to find out the best time to rehearse...and I went with that - well one woman actually had the audacity to say "We have children to get home and get settled after church, you don't understand" - If I wouldn't have been choking back tears at that point I would have quipped back something like: "I'm sorry, I don't understand, maybe if my baby wouldn't have died....." I don't know what else to do here to try and feel included...a lot of our neighbors are Mexican - and they keep to themselves - so they act like we don't exist...we'll pass them on the sidewalk when we walk Besta and we'll say "evenin'" or "mornin'" and they will just turn around and act as if we said nothing...and then all the non-Mexican families in our neighborhood seemed to have their little 'clicks' and we are not invited...any advice?