The Waiting is Over - temporarily, until it is replaced by new waiting just waiting to happen.

Douglas started a new job today working for Sony.  He's doing the same type of work - post production.  This time the show is a 30 minute sitcom.  Unfortunately it doesn't pay that well and it's only through June.  On the upside, he's working at the Paramount lot in Hollywood which means he doesn't have to drive 2 1/2 hours every day. This means we will actually see him in the evenings.  Yeah!

And . . . his documentary is almost done.  The time between jobs was a real blessing in that regard - he was able to complete the shooting he needed to finish the project.  So after a bunch more steps (believe me, it takes forever to finish a film!), the final step will be to submit it to a bunch of film festivals and keep our fingers crossed.  There are several submission deadlines coming up in the next month or two which gives a deadline to aim for.  Wish us luck.

Waiting for the Light

For me, life seems to work in fits and spurts of activity.  Most days are fairly boring.  Get the children dressed and fed, Addison off to school, dishes done, groceries purchased.  Most days I have time to complete a crossword puzzle, read blogs, or waste way too much time playing Boomshine. (yikes!) Only occasionally do I have days where everything seems to happen at once - PTA meetings, volunteering at school, toddler classes, people coming over to your house (that's the hardest one - can you say, quick, hide everything in the bedroom?) Young Women activities, and so on.  But not this week.  This week has seemed to pass by in slow motion, one day blending into the next.  This week, the theme of my life is waiting.

I like waiting for some things.  For example, waiting for bread to rise or cookies to bake.   I love waiting and watching as the seeds in my garden begin to sprout.  I don't mind waiting for my children to wake from naps. Sleeping children are absolute bliss.  This week I waited for Addison to run a 5K with her father and I waited for Charlie to discover the rabbit we were house sitting.  The poor cat, when he finally did discover the rabbit, he took off running for the hills.

Then there are the things I don't like waiting for.

Waiting for the next disc from season three of Battlestar Galactica.

Waiting for the next new episode of Lost.

Waiting to lose the baby fat (this may be more of an ignoring than a waiting? not sure.)

This week I waited for Mason to cut a new tooth (his third).  Most of this waiting took place in the middle of the night;  waiting for the crying to stop, waiting for him to be soothed back to sleep, waiting for the Tylenol to kick in. Waiting to lose my sanity.

  

We are also still waiting for a new job.   Douglas has a few contacts that are promising, and we are waiting to hear from them.  We are also waiting to see how long our finances can withstand the drought.  Speaking of jobs, I'll also be waiting for the results from my TB test so that I can start substitute teaching a few days a week. 

I'm also waiting for my voice to go back to normal.  I seem to have a bit of laryngitis this week. Rather than having a sexy, husky voice - I am told I sound more like Marge Simpson's sisters.   How nice. 

And I am waiting to hear from you.  Help me out - what are you waiting for?

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

Yesterday we took a field trip to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.  Each spring, since moving to California, I have wanted to go see wildflowers.  Something has always gotten in the way, but not this year. We packed up the car and drove an hour and a half north to Lancaster and then west to the reserve. 

As you are driving out from Lancaster you can see hills in the distance that are awash in a strange, almost unnatural, salmon orange.  Then you pass the sign that says 11 miles to the reserve and you are even more amazed by the blaze of color you can see from this distance.  

Admittedly, we are not the smartest crew, visiting a poppy reserve during peak bloom season on a Sunday afternoon.  (And by telling you that, you now also know we skipped out on the Sunday afternoon session. If Douglas doesn't get a new job soon we'll all know why.)  Let's just say the reserve was crowded! It was also very windy.  But despite all the drawbacks - it was beautiful.  Here are a few pictures.

A Few Pics from Easter

Societal Dilemma or Not?

Lately, I can't stop thinking about plastic bags.  They are a pernicious evil that everyone in the retail business wants to push on me.  Oh, you want to buy a bottle of water - here let me put it into a plastic bag for you.  At one store when I asked for paper, the bagger actually put my paper bag into a plastic bag.  They must have been worried that I wasn't doing my daily part in contributing to pollution and global warming.    

As a family we are going to try to completely eliminate the use of plastic bags this year.  So now we have some problem solving to do.  Do I have to give up freezer bags?  And what should Addi carry her sandwich in - perhaps a retro waxpaper wrap?  I'll need an alternative in the produce department for my apples and loose carrots.  And what about the meat department?  No more placing my meat in individual little plastic bags.  Then there is the dry cleaners - do I have to stop using their services - heaven forbid! Clothing retailers usually offer plastic bags as well. Target (one of my most frequented stores) doesn't offer paper bags.  And then there is the garbage bag question - what do you replace those with? 

I'm not sure yet how we will solve these dilemmas.  My guess is that we will probably discover that there is no dilemma - that it is all in our heads.   We'll start carrying reusable bags and feel slightly superior to "regular" shoppers as we're buying our disposable diapers and carrying them home in our cloth bags.