Getting Ready For Easter

When Dinosaurs Attack

Paul and Douglas

Unfortunately, Paul was sick most of this week and now I am coming down with the same thing. I am still at the point where I am pretty tired all the time, so I was not terribly happy Paul decided to wake up before it was light this morning. Of course, it wasn't his fault, since "Douglas was running around and around the room and yelling RAWR and woke me up!".

I'd forgotten how weather in the ArkLaTex is this time of year, especially compared to the relatively calm weather in the DC area. We had a normal (for this time of year) storm pass through the area, complete with ominous tornado watches, warnings, and mentions of "tornado signatures on the radar". Paul overheard and decided that "Douglas was too scared to sleep", so it was difficult to get him to go to sleep until after the storm passed over us. I can't say I really blame him, since the threat of a tornado warning while you sleep is pretty scary.

I don't really remember worrying too much about tornadoes until I was older and had to deal with tornado warnings in school. During tornado warnings, we would all grab the heaviest book in our desk, and quickly leave the room, in single file. We would crouch down in the hall, and lean against the wall, while holding our book over our head. And then we would wait for the all clear.

We had several tornado warnings the year I was in first grade, and I remember saving my money for a Lisa Frank trapper keeper (the purple one with the pink neon heart), so I would have something more substantial to put over my head than my Janet and Mark take home reader. I also remember having more than a few nightmares about tornadoes at night that spring, because we had to color these large cardboard eggs as big as we were for a downtown Easter display. In my nightmares, I would wake up, look outside the window beside my bed and see something like an F3 tornado. I would then have a panic attack, because my cardboard easter egg was downtown and I was not strong enough to drag my mattress to the bathtub. I don't remember when I outgrew that phase, but I still occasionally have that nightmare when the weather is bad during tornado season.

A Tall Order

One of the reasons I tend to stick to "boring" wish list items like books or date milkshake mix is because the stuff I would really like just doesn't exist yet, or at least in a form I would find acceptable enough to warrant becoming an early adopter. My Garmin 60CS bit the dust last month, and I've had it so long that it's just cheaper to buy a new one. So of course Garmin releases the upgrades to everything but my line of GPSrs. But wait.. Magellan released a new line that looks kind of interesting...

A part of me would love to get an all in one device like the new Magellan Triton. But then I realize, it's been awhile since I've really used my ipod and the built-in camera would probably be used about as often as the one on my Treo (once or twice a year tops). The only thing I'd definitely use would be the flashlight, because Paul manages to always sneak my little flashlight and headlamp out of my caching bag. Thats kind of an expensive upgrade if the only additional feature I used was the flashlight.

I am at the point where I take a GPSr, Treo 600, camera, laptop, power inverter, eneloop batters, along with various cables/chargers when I go on a caching trip. There's a reason why I rarely go on roadtrips with companions who want to call shotgun. My passenger seat quickly turns into a disaster area when I get everything hooked up. (Ok, even more of a disaster area than it is after taking a 2 year old on a week long roadtrip.)

In a perfect world, I'd be able to get down to a bluetooth capable GPSr/pda phone combo for navigation, so I could leave my laptop and battery charger in my overnight bag, my camera in my caching bag, and the inverter for emergencies. And also, Garmin would go ahead and announce their upgrade to the 60CSx line before I lose my patience and buy the current model. (Which was exactly what happened when I got my 60CS. The new model was announced about a month and a half after I got it.)

A Space of My Own

I've been sitting in Wegman's for about an hour not and have probably gotten more done on my personal projects than I normally do in a week. Perhaps this is because there is no ongoing war about who gets to sit on my lap or "but I want water!" every time I manage to sit still for a minute.

I managed to find a quiet corner with an available outlet, and had a nice lunch without anyone trying to put food in my mouth or attempt to knock my plate onto the floor if I set it down for a moment to refill a certain someone's water. It's nice.

I've been working on a new theme for 2.3 and I managed to get most of the behind the scenes stuff done today. Now I need to dig my desk out of the random things that have accumulated on it, so I can work on the design.

Argh, for the last time… IT’S NOT A PURSE!!

Seems like my husband and I have this conversation every few months. I started carrying a chain wallet my sophomore year of high school. My locker was on the opposite side of campus and ginormous purses were trendy. I felt kind of silly carrying a backpack, and a huge purse, since I didn't have the usual collection of make up, hairspray, and whatever else it is that girls carry in purses. My graphing calculator and whatever I happened to be reading fit just fine in my backpack.

I didn't mind carrying a bag until I became a mom. It was too easy to pack up a diaper bag for every single thing that might happen while we went to the grocery store. And later, Paul kept wanting to fill it up with whatever toys were closest. I guess it was sometime around 16-18 months when I gave up the diaper bag for good. My back wishes I had done it sooner :P. These days, Paul has a kid sized CamelBack, which is really nice. There's room for a couple of diapers, spare clothes, travel wipes, snacks, toys, books, and of course, water. It's also to small for him to really overload.