baby pooksie

Meet Baby Pooksie. With the possible exception of Terri (can't remember when we met, or even how, though I could guess at that), Baby Pooksie is my oldest friend. He's been around since I was seven. Ella, that means he's older than your daddy. And let me tell you, we've been through a lot.

Baby Pooksie was with me the first time I went to church camp. I didn't know anyone when I got there, but we got through it together. He was with me at every vacation, in fact, and even got left behind in a hotel once (Jackson, MI? Florida? Washington, D.C.?) and had to travel via the US Postal Service to get back home. He's been through a sex-change operation (he was a girl when I got him, wearing an awful pink jumper thing and a Miss America-type sash, but I knew he was a boy inside) and he's had an eye mauled by a rottweiler (bad Sadie!). In fact, he lost both eyes and had to have them replaced, but tells me he doesn't quite like the way he looks anymore with his new eyes. There was a period in his life where he was losing a lot of weight (not pretty; so much yellow stuff(ing) was coming out of his mouth that he was half the size he used to be) and had to have replacement stuff(ing) put in, but now he tells me that he's a bit too fat.

Ah, yes, he's been there for me through it all. He sleeps with me every night when my husband's not around. I think he's jealous of Al, and I know Serena is jealous of him. She always makes me move him to the opposite side of the bed from her. He hates taking baths, though. I don't really blame him. When he takes them, he gets a little dizzy from all the spinning the washing machine does, and then it takes him forever to dry out that fuzzy coat of his (and his insides, which are quite absorbent as well). But the one thing that he hates most of all is being made fun of for his name. People always make crude jokes (referring to bodily waste), and it's gotten to the point that he doesn't tell many people his name--kind-of like Cosmo Kramer. But he puts up with it. After all, he was named by a seven-year-old, one that still loves, cuddles, and depends on him twenty-something (and that's a big something) years later. That's worth all of the teasing.

Don't worry, Baby Pooksie. Thanks for sticking with me, and I'll do the same for you.

(speechless)

What do you say when you have nothing to say?

So mom noticed I haven't been blogging lately. She took that to mean I've been extremely busy working. Hmm. That's actually only true for the last two days (14 hours yesterday, 12 today) and maybe one day last week. I've had computer troubles (keeping me from working) and then I had to set up the new computer (keeping me from working) and then I had to clean my office (keeping me from working) and then I wanted to read my books (keeping me from working). However, I've finally got into the swing of the new semester and have a work schedule that most people think is a little nuts, but which I think will work: get up somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 each morning, work for several hours, shower, work a little more, go to the office hours and then teach or go to class, go to whatever meetings I may have, and then come home. Done by 3:30 or 5:00, depending on the day. Take it easy, blog, do whatever, go to bed around 9:30, do it all again. I know. Sounds nuts. But I work best in mornings, and by the time I get home from class I never feel like starting something new. So I'm hoping to keep this up. But I digress.

I haven't been blogging because I don't have much to blog about. I do have a couple of new people to hang out with, which is nice since Dana and Stephanie are gone. Kimberly is from the linguistics program and we got along so well last semester that we keep in touch. Jessica's nice, although ten years my junior (she doesn't notice, but I do...I don't know what that says about my maturity level). I've even gone out with a couple of people from my own PhD program (they'll remain nameless since one of my readers has an adverse reaction to one of the names). But with this "hanging out" that I've been doing, I've actually missed last semester's routine of going to the Irish Pub for dinner and a couple of Smithwick's or Guinesses (by myself) and then going to the movies (by myself). I get to the pub, but not to the movies, and I stay at the pub longer than I like. Ah, but because I come in so often for dinner, I now know four of the five bartenders by name, and they know my name and my drink. Not that I drink a lot. Just that I'm usually there (by myself) when there are only two other people in the entire place and I sit at the bar and chat. Can't do that when I've got people there with me.

What else? Serena's been throwing up two or three times daily. I've lain off her medication for a while and may try switching her food, but I'm afraid to stay off the medication too long. Don't want my baby leaving me. Only got to use my webcam once and haven't seen my niece on it. I'm on Skype every morning and evening, but my brother and sister-in-law aren't, and my husband refuses to get one (he doesn't really miss me too much when I'm gone, since he's so used to living the bachelor life apart from me). Al's birthday is a week from Thursday (Feb. 7), and he's probably taking a very quick trip out to see me. He didn't know that was his birthday, though. He was just thinking about what days he would have off of work. It's 1 degree here, feels like -23, and will actually get down to -11 here tonight with an even colder wind chill (and the wind's blowing at 27-39 miles per hour). I've read three fantasy novels since I've been here and am on my fourth, but have limited myself now to reading in the evenings after I've worked about 12 hours a day. My apartment's so embarrassingly messy that I'd be mortified if there was an emergency and someone had to come in. I need to go grocery shopping but think it's too cold and would rather wait til I get paid anyway, not because I need the money, but because it goes directly into my checking account and I'm too lazy to get online and transfer money from my savings to checking. I had my first meeting of the semester with my major professor yesterday and have got a lot of work to do, but am actually looking forward to it. My feet are cold. (My office has nothing but a stairwell underneath it, and it has a window...it doesn't retain heat very well). I miss home, my family, and my friends and am looking forward to moving back for good in 3 1/2 months.

Guess I had enough to say for having nothing to say.

Happy 2008!

I know I'm a little late, but happy new year!

I've been back in my school town since Thursday after a blissful month with my hubbie, family, and some friends. And without a computer, in case you've been wondering where I've been. My poor PC caught some nasty viruses and had to be wiped clean, and since my husband doesn't have word processing software and I didn't want to buy it for his six or seven year old computer, I didn't get any work done. At the time, it wasn't painful in the least. Now that I'm back at school and it's started again, though, I'm looking at everything I need to do and realizing that I'm just a wee bit behind. Oh well. It'll get done sometime.

Today I experienced a first--my first web-call (vs. phone call) with webcams. I got one for Christmas so I can see my niece while I'm out of town (my husband wouldn't bother with it, of course--I believe "you know what I look like" were his exact words). My brother saw me online tonight and called me--right after they gave Ella a bath and right when Rachel was putting her to bed. I didn't get to see her, but that's okay. I've got four months, and I'm online all the time, so we're bound to catch each other sometime! After seeing and talking to my brother, I'm wishing everyone in my family had webcams so I could see all of them more often. But like I said, I've (only) got four more months here before I'm off to finish my dissertation at home. It'll fly by, I'm sure.

Okay, proud Auntie is making this blog a short one today and leaving you with one of my favorite, and most recent, pics of Ella from a little over a week ago (okay, her parents are in the picture too). And of course, you can check out more pics from my online albums if you'd like. Oh, and congrats to Stephanie and Lee on their engagement! I'm so excited for you both!