I’ve been visiting my folks, as usual, on days that Justin works late or teaches his adult continuing education photography class. It’s my opportunity to get out of the house for brain stimulation among fellow adults (but still be among family, so I don’t have to stress about the sad state of my wardrobe or make apologies for how filthy I’ve let the interior of my once spotless Ford Escape Hybrid get.) Of course, these visits also benefit Sara, giving her the opportunity to love up on, and be loved up by, Grandma and Grandpa Blackburn. She usually also spends the better part of her Sunday’s with her Grandma and Grandpa Moore (Justin’s folks) after they get out of church, and if she’s lucky, her cousins are there as well.
Weather permitting, Justin does one long bike ride and occasionally one casual ride (the latter with his dad) each weekend. For my part, I veg out, recuperate, manically clean the house in anticipation of the return of Hurricane Sara; I play some World of Warcraft since Justin renewed my account last Mother’s Day, take an unhurried shower for the first time all week, and generally try to find my bearings again. Somewhere in there, Justin usually also squeezes in a family/bridal/engagement/senior portrait photo shoot and/or preparing photos for an earlier client.
All of this means Justin and I should have some time together, but lately we’ve been more like two ships passing in the (foggy) night. We know the other person’s out there, just out of sight and most certainly out of reach. I never could get the hang of Octobers. Novembers kind of go the same way, unfortunately. Things in our small business — at least the portrait photography segment of it — stay crazy until early December when we have to draw the line in the sand and convince folks that it really *is* too late to reasonably expect to have their portrait taken and turned into Christmas cards which magically arrive before the blessed day.
Just as suddenly, our wedding anniversary (10 years as of December 12, 2008!) is upon us and the New Year approaches.
Time is a cruel mistress, going far too quickly when you want her to slow down — to savor the innocence and joy of you’re child’s first 24 months on Earth, for example — and slowing down when you’d rather she just fast forward for a bit (to November 5th, please?)
Jus and I are doing fine, but it is enough to make us both a little soul tired (similar to William Gibson’s “soul delay,” but absent the cross-timezone travel his condition requires).
All of this is my set up to explain why I’ve been tweeting so much (short snippets that don’t have to be coherent beyond 140 characters) and blogging so little (entries that actually should have a topic and follow some logical progression.)
I don’t see a change on the horizon for awhile yet, so here’s a quick prequel:
- Kidlet’s still under the weather today. i’m a newbie at this since she has, quite literally, never been sick before–not so much as a runny nose. We’re monitoring her for fever, but she seems to be fighting it off on her own.
- My mom goes in for major foot surgery in several days, on October 30th. She’s a tough cookie but we’ll all feel better when she’s on the healing side of that.
- Justin’s sister, Jeanine, is still on her church mission in Bangladesh. We are all very proud of her and miss her, and we know she misses her husband David and their two kids (Sara’s cousins).
- The job market, like the economy, sucks and my brother, Thomas, may be pounding the pavement yet again soon.
If I left anything out, I blame the fact that it’s 6:45 AM and I have yet to go to “bed” for the “night”. Oops. Justin’s already been on the road for 35 to 40 minutes, bicycling to work in the 40 degree temperatures. He leaves super early to avoid the worst of the drivers/rush hour traffic and congestion.
If you’re family, love you to all. If you’re anyone else, thanks for hanging on to the end of my ramble. I owe you one.