The Skinny of It All

A quick update on Drama King and Biter Baby. After a serious parental discussion, we decided to go back to Jude and Sullivan. Jude -- doing well, big dramatic gestures and all. Jeff is in the process of introducing Jude to the Star Wars films. Jude is 4. He asks 10 questions every 4 seconds (yep, he's that quick). Jeff is a masochist. But daddy and son both seem to love Star Wars and Jude even has a favorite character: Okey-wan-adobe.

Sullivan has another new tooth (five in all now) and an adorable habit of standing up in the bathtub mid-bath. When I gently set him down, saying "No, Sully. No standing in the bathtub," he looks at me as if seriously considering my proposal before pulling himself back up to the standing position. It has become a wrestling match just to give him a bath.

On the job front, I am hopeful because I have spent too much time being not hopeful and that isn't helpful either. I have prospects. I even applied for a job at a local college and felt a bit lost as I wandered the campus. The students there had something that I haven't felt in my own professional life in quite some time: a sense of purpose. The thrill of something new. In college, "they" tell you crap like "What would you do if you didn't have to work? Well, that's what you should do for work." My first choice of non-work activity would be sitting on the couch watching movies and that isn't realistic. But there is a second choice, something that I could totally (maybe) do for a living, something that I am actually really good at and I am trying to figure out how to expand upon that, turn that into something that pays well (enough). I've even gotten serious enough to make inquiries about starting a website for said project and a friend was kind enough to provide me with some information on getting a website. I've done research until my eyes are crossed and I must ask: is there anyone who knows how to start/maintain a website? I have gotten good advice on how to do it myself, but let's be honest here: it is likely I would screw it up myself. I'm quite serious. I want to purchase (very cheaply) a domain name, etc. Tell me what you know. Tell me how you would do it, step by step, treating me like I had no clue what I was doing (because I really, really don't). I can't even make my blog any prettier than it already is. There are people with talents for things like that; my talents (I think) lie elsewhere. So I am begging. Pleading. Tell me what you know.

I know what else I know: apparently I am hanging on to baby weight from my sweet boys out of some bizarre sentimentality. Well, that ends now. My husband has this habit of taking my picture, despite my threats to do him bodily harm. Now, it speaks volumes that I would rather injure Jeff than let him take photographic evidence that I am here, so it is time to do something about that and I have. Jeff has his gym schedule and I have started my own exercise program here. I will monitor my progress here in the same haphazard way that I monitor everything else on this blog. I have this love of ice cream (and ice cream merchandisers), but I miss my pre-baby body and want to see it again in this lifetime.

Oh, and to the dear reader who thought it would be fun to send me an email that sent me off to google a quite nasty picture, thank you. I have printed off said picture, framed it and put it on the fridge. I haven't been able to eat ever since. Best. Diet. Ever.

Song of the day: (yes, it is back!) Engine Driver by The Decembrists. I choose this song simply because I can't get it out of my head. See, Jeff has this cool habit of downloading songs and making up CDs for each writing project that he does and I have this habit of stealing said CDs to listen to in my car. So, thanks for your hard work, Jeff. And no, I haven't seen your CD. Why do you ask?

Movie Review: The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford. Jeff asked me to watch this with him today. It was long (nearly three hours) and really, really good. It has a wonderful screenplay and great dialogue and it is a pretty slow-paced movie but I just loved it. Terrific performances by Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt. There is even a scene with Nick Cave singing. There is great narration as well and I suspect that those passages were lifted directly from the book. Loved it.