42 thoughts on “Friday Open Thread”

  1. In laws

    just left after a 10 day visit. FIL was vomiting and had diarrhea the whole time; MIL developed a  cough and horrible cold on day 2. So, of course both of my kids are sick. And, I went downstairs to clean the bathroom today and CANNOT believe the mess they left. Gross. Good thing they only visit once a year!

  2. Its Friday the 13th!

    I don’t know why but Friday the 13ths always make me feel a little giddy. Maybe its just my contrarian Aries soul, but I’ve always been entertained by it in the face of superstition.
    I loved all the Aries talk yesterday, it seems like there are a lot of us here.  Hates to be stalled, future plans… yep thats me.  Too bad my life right now seems to be about nothing BUT stalling and obstacles, UGH! But, it’s a beautiful day and I and my family are alive and healthy so I have lots to be grateful for.  Like the fact the my inlaws live close enough to visit and go home in the same day… sooo sorry for you Gigi!

    Another thing to be grateful for: For those of us in Los Angeles, the Butterfly Exhibit at the Museum of Natural History opens this weekend if you’re a member or Tuesday if you’re not. If you haven’t been, its wonderful. Dozens and dozens of butterflies of all different kinds flying around the enclosure.  They’re tame enough to look at up close and will land on you if you stand still.  It’s really magical.

    Wishing a weekend of peace and grace for all…..

    Jamie

      • It lasts until September

        I believe.  When its warm its better to go in the morning because by the afternoon it gets stuffy in the enclosure.  Enjoy!

    • just relocated to Orange County…

      …and we will have to see this exhibit! Thanks for the tip.

      Any other fun weekend activities you would recommend? We have a 2-year-old and are always looking for fun things to do.

          • Nope

            we moved to Cincinnati from San Diego two years ago. You should go to Legoland…Maya would love it! I don’t know what your work schedule is like, but they have a Model Moms pass (yes, heterosexist) that allows you to go ‘free’ on Thursdays, plus it covers parking. When I had the pass it was only $40 for the entire year. Well worth it and the drive shouldn’t be too long from Irvine.

            • Easy drive

              45 minutes tops depending on how deep into Irvine you are! My Alex adored Legoland when he was younger. Who am I kidding? He would love it now at 10, but we never have time with all his own sports obligations!

    • Aries magnet?

      I wonder if there are an equal number of all signs of the Zodiac represented here, or if there is something especially appealing to Aries?  If I knew more about astrology, I’d do a poll!

      • Pieces over here.

        But almost an Aries. March 13.
        I know very little about astrology but I’ve been told I’m supposed to be artistic and sensitive. Since I’ve worked many years as an graphic designer and I took it all too personally and developed hives at one job, I guess the stars are right!

        sigh.

      • Virgo Sun, Aries Moon

        If you want your whole chart, google an astrology site and input your info. There used to be one called astro.com …..

        It would be interesting to know if we are a lot of fire around here. When I get my act together later this weekend, I’ll try to put together a poll of Sun Signs! Good idea, mamacita!

        RachelD

          • Sag, too

            DD Aries, DS Virgo, DH Gemini…

            My babies were induced – I often wonder what that does to one’s sign/moons/planets, etc. I know nothing about astrology, but wonder if being born when you weren’t technically supposed to makes a difference…

            • I’ve wondered that, too

              because the two people I know who are the most into astrology were both very premature babies.  I asked one about it, and she felt that even though she couldn’t go outside or anything, she likes to think that the time of year she was born still had an effect on her.  I don’t know the facts, though.

              The only other thing I think I know is that your rising sign is the side of you that you present to the world, so that even though I’m a sag, I have a Taurus rising and may seem more Taurus like.

            • Leo too

              But I’m not much for the whole astro thing. Although I once worked in a research department in which 11 out of 12 of us were Leos. Weird. And there were a lot of very difficult personalities…

        • I just received a stern lecture

          about the “cusp” (although I didn’t ask about it — not sure why this person decided to lecture me about it!).  What I was told was that whether you are born on the first day, the last day, or somewhere in the middle, you are “all” that sign.  There are no gradations (a little this, a little that) according to this person.

          Does anyone know/believe anything different about this?  It’s interesting to hear what all the MTers know about astrology.

          • Well

            You got a lecture about the existence or nonexistence of the cusp?? Gee, fun times.

            I hate to be an astrology know it all (actually, I take that back, as a Virgo of course I love to be a know it all), and I hope other MTs who are into astrology chime in on this one ….. but there is a cusp, in my understanding. Within a couple of days plus or minus of the cusp (and maybe only one day, I don’t know), your Sun sign is colored by the adjacent sign. Just colored a bit, doesn’t change the essential nature of your Sun sign, but you might pick up some traits or flavor of the other sign.

            In fact, my favorite astrologer, an American Jungian analyst who published in Britain (her name is Liz Greene), said that within your sign, there is a first third, a second third, and a third third, and each time frame manifests the sign slightly differently.

            So for Aries, there is a collection of traits – chivalry, fighting for the underdog, romantic vision of life, crusading for pet causes, future oriented, inspirational leadership, needs action and progress, hates waiting and limbo, can’t believe it when peeps don’t understand their goals and vision, flash temper, etc. – and each third of Aries would slightly emphasize different aspects.

            So it’s definitely not all or nothing, cusp or no.

            RachelD

            • that’s interesting

              I honestly don’t know what provoked that lecture.  I have always thought of myself as being on the cusp between Pisces and Aries (b-day is 3/22).  Not knowing much about this myself, I must have heard it somewhere along the way and it stick with me.  But, I wasn’t thinking about that, and certainly hadn’t said it, when the monologue began.  Still sort of mystified by that one.

              I think the idea that where in the sign you are born has an impact on how the sign is expressed makes sense.

  3. wrapping up my first week at new job…

    …which is why I’ve been AWOL.

    It was a pretty chill first week but I’m still exhausted. I think the enormity of all these life changes is finally starting to sink in. They are good changes, but still heavy!

    Maya did well at her new day care set-up…I’m so thankful for that. She has been such a little trouper throughout all this upheaval. So grateful for that.

    TGIF!!!

    • that’s great news

      It seems like the adjustment always takes something out of us no matter how welcome the changes are.  I’m glad to hear both you and Maya are settling in well.

      I’m going to OCMA tomorrow to see an exhibit but I don’t think it’s appropriate for little ones.  It’s a video installation about different people’s views of paradise.  Can’t wait!

      • report back

        tell me all about the exhibit!

        During our mad week of unpacking, we did take an afternoon off to explore the Discovery Science Museum in Santa Ana. Maya had a blast, and we signed up for a membership.

        I also found out about the Kidseum at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana; plus all these fabulous nature preserves and hikes. There is even a paved bike trail that goes all the way from our backyard to the ocean!

        The city we live in also offers tons of classes and activities for toddlers, so we will have to take advantage of those.

        • The Back Bay

          Don’t forget to check out Newport’s Back Bay! Very pretty place to walk or take the kiddo for a bike ride in the future. I recently went back there and it brought back a lot of happy childhood memories. There is a bird sanctuary near there, too. And one of the best things about living in OC? The beach!

        • reporting back:

          The “Paradise” exhibit was interesting.  There were several T.V. monitors (20?) set up with stools and headphones in front of each one.  You picked up the headphones and sat down in front of which ever monitor caught your eye.  Then you watched a person spoke at great length about something they were passionate about — the thing that made them happy or gave their life meaning.  One woman was a hospice nurse; one man was a Sudoku nut (and I use that term affectionately, but he was seriously nutty about his “system”); one men was a high-level chef who dreamed of giving people an unforgettable dining experience; two boys, maybe 10 years old or so, talked very seriously about drag racing — they were very adorable; one woman talked about traveling back and forth from the “here and now” to Atlantis, and her regular interactions with the Archangel Gabriel, one woman was a painter; one man was a Jewish lingerie magnate slash meditator, and wants everyone to wear bras decorated with figures like Shiva and Ganesh to increase communion and understanding — you get the idea.  The same artist, who was born in Istanbul, did a similar installation about 40 Istanbul slum dwellers; and another one about 4 women, each of whom wore a wig for a different reason.  A window into some very different life experiences, in their own words.

          There is also a Chuck Close exhibit (not my bag), and one of my favorite Diebenkorns — I love his stuff.  It’s a small museum, not overwhelming at all, and we really enjoyed it. You are living in a cool place with lots of easily accessible fun things to do!  I bet you and your family will enjoy living there.

    • Got your adorable picture!

      We will definetly be taking you up on that Disneyland thing after the baby is born.  For now, dh is terrified of rides and I don’t think pregnant women can go on them.  A friend of mine in high school had great memories of she and her mother and sisters tricking the people at Disneyland into thinking her mom had just given birth when she was actually pregnant.  But I’ll tell you, her little brother had some big problems, whether or not they were from the wild river ride.

      • goody!

        Simone would love Disneyland and even your DH would do OK on most of the rides, they’re very mild.

        My DH took a visiting nephew to Six Flags early in my pregnancy, and I just opted to stay home. I LOVE roller coasters, and was bummed that I couldn’t go on them!

        • I love rides, too

          Simone would absolutely love Disneyland.  However, even mild rides don’t sit well with Jeremy.  It is a fact that he once just stood and glared at me while I took Simone on a merry-go-round.  In that case, though, I had pressured him into going to a fair on the side of the road at the spur of the moment, so he might do better with a little more preperation.

          Simone saw Maya’s picture and had all kinds of questions–she’s in an extreme “why” stage.  ”Who is that little girl?  Why is she in a box?  Why did her parents want to move?”  Etc, etc…

  4. Vacation week is over

    I took the week off to coincide with my son’s Spring Break and also to catch up on appointments and gardening chores. All done! Feeling recharged :-)

    • recharged

      So glad you took your vacation to do that. I, inevitably, over plan and rush around like a mad woman.

      Dh had his spring break, and it’s the last day I am unemployed- a great feeling, but now I realize I’m going back to full time work and my house is still a mess, I took no time to relax this week and DH and I are sitting her more tired than we’ve been all week.

      So… you are a much wiser and smarter person than I! I will learn someday!

  5. Did something crazy today.

    Today is Friday the 13th, a lucky day for me as I was born on Friday the 13th. It’s also my “half birthday,” I am halfway to 40!!!

    So, naturally, I did something a little crazy.  I went to Studio Park and auditioned to be a QVC Program Host.

    I was going to diary on it, but I’m tapped out on energy since I got up at 4am to head down there.  But it was a terrific experience, really a lot of fun. They gave us all tickets to take the studio tour as well, so we got the full behind the scenes treatment.  Fascinating place!

    • King of Prussia

      I forgot all about KoP!! Used to be my mall when I was in high school and we lived in Bryn Mawr. We have big shopping centers here in Germany, but nothing like a real, big mall. Miss that. Funny, I used to hate malls, guess I’m getting soft….

      Just had lunch and coffee with MIL and kids (H is in North Korea, don’t ask) at this awesome big old 600yo farm with great food, playground, horses and other animals, and cherry blossoms as far as the eye can see. Yay

      We just had two wks spring break with fantastic summer weather, not typical for Germany. Despite the environmentalist pangs I’ll take what I can get!! I (elemntary school teacher) am looking forward to going back to work, though.

      A great weekend to all, and to all a great weekend!

      • KoP/QVC follow up

        I’ve never been shopping at KofP mall(s) but passed them on my way to QVC and was tempted to stop there on my way home. But I resistd the temptation figuring I’d enjoy a couple of hours of peace and quiet at home instead!

        The QVC audition experience was really quite fun.  I would consider working there in a capacity other than host as it seems a great place to work.  I was pleased to learn on the tour that part of their quality assurance process is also to ensure safe and appropriate working conditions at their vendors facilities abroad.

        I don’t really shop much QVC but after having done a lot of pledge drives and on air auctions at my previous job in public television, I really enjoyed the experience of working on air.  I thought it would be fun to just go for it and see what happened.

        We each were given two minutes to demo an item of our choice.  I chose a 15 piece gardening set.  I seemed to get a good response from the producers in the room when I threw in some personal anecdotal stuff.  Funniest moment was when my  cellphone rang.  I kept it together and just went right on with my audition.  At the end, one of the producers said she was impressed I kept it together when that happened. She also told me she liked my glasses, so that made me happy.  I felt like I wasn’t going to be put in the “NO WAY!” pile at least!  

        They review the tapes (there were about 1,000 people there) over a 4-6 week period and then contact anyone they want to bring back for a more in-depth interview and audition process.  So, I figure I have as good a shot as anyone really.  There were hundreds of people there who I thought just had no shot whatsoever but then again they might have been thinking the same of me!!

        People came from Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, New York, etc.  I couldn’t believe it.  I met a really nice woman from Chicago. We were among the first ones there and so we were done early and then went and grabbed a coffee together.  She is an inveterate QVC shopper so for her it was about fulfilling a special dream and she just figured it would be fun.  She was very sweet and attractive, though she thinks she blew the audition.

        Anyway, it was a really fun experience and no matter what happens, it was worth taking a day off of work!

        • sounds fun!

          That sounds really fun!  That’s amazing that people came from all over the country too.

          I never get how people that shop on QVC.  It seems like such an inefficient way to shop.  But I guess people get into it.  I know so many women who love it.

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