28 March 2012
LATCHKEY KID
I remember so well the prevailing fear of all 1970's New York City parents that their children would become latchkey kids. To call someone's child a latchkey kid was akin to accusing them of raising their offspring on nothing but Tab and episodes of What's Happening. The horror...
26 March 2012
ONWARD AND UPWARD
I have this perpetual TO DO list on my phone that includes everything from milk and bananas to sort out finances. It's a bit like Tetris in that if the stack gets too big I feel an oppressive need to delete delete delete. I have a compulsion to get shit done. Sometimes I will cheat by adding in a throwaway like get manicure so I can enjoy the accomplishment of erasing something without doing something.
The list stalwarts, ever present and shuffled around like so many piles of unfolded laundry for months or even years, all involve the following: paperwork, bureaucracy, knowing how much money we actually make, and the post office. Thus, I have made a huge push to accomplish these by the end of April:
- Complete wills, living wills, powers of attorney etc
- Nag Sam to renew his expired passport
- Apply for Roan's passport
- Apply for life insurance
- Start Roan's college fund
- Harass Sam about doing his citizenship application
- Apply to preschool for Roan
Clearly we had some catching up to do in our transition to full adulthood from the transience of our previous life but that's what having kids will do. We've gotten off to a decent start until we get to the last two when it all comes to a screeching halt.
Sam has been talking about applying for citizenship for years and it is only his hatred of paperwork and gift for procrastination that has kept him from doing so. He wouldn't have to give up UK citizenship or anything (although he does have to sign a pledge that he is willing to go to war for the US) but he has to write down every single trip he has made out of the us in the last 10 years which involves trying to sort through every wayward stamp in his passport (why don't they just stamp in chronological order??) to come up with an honest time line.
Then there is the matter of preschool. I refuse REFUSE to buy in to the panic that people succumb to in applying for preschool. Frankly, I think it's a construct that non-native New Yorkers have invented to prove to themselves that they have somehow earned a place in this city. That said, this application is for Roan to go in 2013.
We are only applying to one school and that is the Coop School in Bed-Stuy - not too fussy or precious, but fairly progressive and super imaginative. Roan would absolutely love it. I don't care if he doesn't get in until he's 12, he's going. I had to write an essay about why I thought Roan would be a good fit with the school and I wasn't sure if I should write about Lula. I don't want every story in his life to be prefaced with sadness, but I couldn't find any way to write about him and who he is without her and the impact she has had on all of us. It just reminded me once again of her eternal presence in our lives.
It does feel good to get all of this stuff out of the way and when I am done with it all I am going to celebrate with a manicure and pedicure and that will be the last thing I tick off the list.
The list stalwarts, ever present and shuffled around like so many piles of unfolded laundry for months or even years, all involve the following: paperwork, bureaucracy, knowing how much money we actually make, and the post office. Thus, I have made a huge push to accomplish these by the end of April:
- Complete wills, living wills, powers of attorney etc
- Nag Sam to renew his expired passport
- Apply for Roan's passport
- Apply for life insurance
- Start Roan's college fund
- Harass Sam about doing his citizenship application
- Apply to preschool for Roan
Clearly we had some catching up to do in our transition to full adulthood from the transience of our previous life but that's what having kids will do. We've gotten off to a decent start until we get to the last two when it all comes to a screeching halt.
Sam has been talking about applying for citizenship for years and it is only his hatred of paperwork and gift for procrastination that has kept him from doing so. He wouldn't have to give up UK citizenship or anything (although he does have to sign a pledge that he is willing to go to war for the US) but he has to write down every single trip he has made out of the us in the last 10 years which involves trying to sort through every wayward stamp in his passport (why don't they just stamp in chronological order??) to come up with an honest time line.
Then there is the matter of preschool. I refuse REFUSE to buy in to the panic that people succumb to in applying for preschool. Frankly, I think it's a construct that non-native New Yorkers have invented to prove to themselves that they have somehow earned a place in this city. That said, this application is for Roan to go in 2013.
We are only applying to one school and that is the Coop School in Bed-Stuy - not too fussy or precious, but fairly progressive and super imaginative. Roan would absolutely love it. I don't care if he doesn't get in until he's 12, he's going. I had to write an essay about why I thought Roan would be a good fit with the school and I wasn't sure if I should write about Lula. I don't want every story in his life to be prefaced with sadness, but I couldn't find any way to write about him and who he is without her and the impact she has had on all of us. It just reminded me once again of her eternal presence in our lives.
It does feel good to get all of this stuff out of the way and when I am done with it all I am going to celebrate with a manicure and pedicure and that will be the last thing I tick off the list.
22 March 2012
15 March 2012
RESPITE
Sam and I are back from our trip to Mohonk. The weather was
unseasonably perfect, and our trip was decadent and relaxing, but first
let me say that I was actually a little nervous about this place. It's a
vastly huge hotel, it's in the middle of nowhere, and it's very old, so
of course comparisons to The Overlook Hotel from The Shining were inevitable. Despite trying not to let my imagination get the better of me, I couldn't help myself. This one's for you, Aggie:
More on our trip. We took beautiful walks, ate lovely food (albeit earlier than I would have liked. Breakfast ended at 10am??!), had massages and stewed in the mineral pool, and generally otherwise did sweet fuck all. It was blissful to have free time to relax, but I have to say we both missed Roan terribly and could not wait to get home to him.
More on our trip. We took beautiful walks, ate lovely food (albeit earlier than I would have liked. Breakfast ended at 10am??!), had massages and stewed in the mineral pool, and generally otherwise did sweet fuck all. It was blissful to have free time to relax, but I have to say we both missed Roan terribly and could not wait to get home to him.
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| The view of Mohonk from our walk on day one |
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| See that tower? That's where I took the first picture from |
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| This reminds me of Scotland |
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| View from our lovely room |
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| Vacation in two words: Room. Service. |
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| Sam sunbathing on our balcony |
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| There were lots of old eerie rooms like this that you could wander around in |
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| The dock at night |
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| We even had a fireplace in our room |
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| Late night Scrabble |
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