Well, an even tougher storm came through town this evening and rather devastated certain areas. My husband thinks we might be a week without power. There are 100+-year-old trees fully on the ground or split out half and flung down the road all over the place right now. In addition to the crazy winds, there apparently also was a tornado in our area. So much power is out right now in just our area, let alone the other parts of town that got hit hardest.
As my husband said, it looks like a big deal hurricane came through. And yet it was something like only an hour-long storm. Just nuts.
Since so much power is out all around, perhaps my husband might not be going to the gym tonight, and we’ll be home in bed together… wishful thinking over here(!). I wonder if he is still flying in the morning… Hmm… I also wonder if school even has power. I shall check in the morning before heading in!
We went to the final game of the little league championships for my husband’s nephew this evening. The game was at 5:45pm. The league is age ten and under. They have a limit of an hour forty-five minutes to play their game, but must also complete six innings. So, as long as they’ve completed six innings, whenever they hit an hour and forty-five minutes of play time, that marks their final inning. The other night, their game went long, but only by 20-25 minutes. But yes, that was still long for them to play over their maximum game time. Tonight, however, the game went very long. It didn’t end until 8:05pm.
That’s two hours and twenty minutes, a full forty minutes over their normal maximum play time.
But then… – yes, indeed, there is a but here – they, the undefeated team in the playoffs, lost the game by one run, which was gained in the final inning.
So, since the other team had been the winner of the loser’s bracket, now both teams had lost one game. (Yes, I know. The winners of the winner bracket should have already won the whole thing, but they do it having the winner of the winners’ bracket play the winners of the losers’ bracket.) So, they had to play another game to find the winning team, as both teams had had a single loss, while the rest of the teams had all lost twice.
And when might this second game be? After a brief ten-to-fifteen-minute break.
Haha
So, when we confirmed the game was still happening directly afterward, as originally planned, before the first game had run way over time, my husband and I rushed to the car and sped on over to the nearby Costco for a dinner of hot dog and pizza.
We brought back pizza for the kids, and they each had one of the small slices while they were at bat – it was close to nine at night, and none of these kids had had dinner; they needed nourishment to keep them going, for sure. We also had pizza and drinks for our extended family who were there, and shared our excess pizza with this very kind deaf couple whose son was on the team – also deaf, I discovered, when I saw his hearing aid and witnessed how he told his mom that he couldn’t find his hat (almost no sound at all, just lips and a bit of minor signing) – and whose daughters were growing very hungry and bored at their brother’s very long baseball outing.
Note** They hadn’t know that Costco had pizza or that you could get a whole pizza there OR that it was only $10. Let alone that it might just be the best regular pizza in town. They were very excited to discover all of these facts. After tasting the pizza, they were all the more excited to have learned about it. So, yay! Glad to share such wonderful food and with others, while supporting a company that seems to be genuine and morally sound.
Anyway, the boys played the second game loads better. There’s a five-run maximum in the leafy per inning. In the first game, the other team got the five runs in the first inning, no outs. Not a good start. When they hit the second game, however, the nephew’s team had stepped up to their true usual playing level, and they got the five-run max in the first inning this time. At the last inning, the score was 10-5, the nephew’s team winning. They were first up to bat in the inning. On the second batter, the players on the field seemed to miss what was actually going on, despite the fact that they had been forced to crowd around the pitcher and close to home plate before the pitch (first batter had stolen to third at this point), and the pitcher fielded the unfortunately-short-hit ball, and threw it to first base…
There were no outs. The team was up by five. They only needed one run to win the game, because, even if the other team went to bat afterward, they had a max limit of five runs per inning. So, a lead of six points would end the game immediately.
When that pitcher turned around and tried throwing to first – and no one there was ready, because the first baseman was up by home plate with all the other infielders – the kid on third made it home with ease (as did the kid at bat, who is very slow at running, make it to first safely, incidentally), and the entire team and its coaches exploded out onto the field in joyous chaos.
I’m not sure the other team fully understood how they had just lost the game. But they certainly figured it out, what with all the screaming and jumping and running around like monkeys.
And they were all great sports, which was awesome to see at the end. They got special somethings for the second place team, and the winners, the nephew’s team, got championship rings. Shocker, I know.
Anyway, it was cute and we had a great time. But it was a very long time to be at the baseball fields. The game ended at 10:33pm, and we didn’t leave until after 11pm. That’s five hours just for watching. Phew!
Anyway, goodnight.
Thank you, God, for this evening of entertainment and kindness and joy. Keep my husband safe, please. Amen.
I asked my Japan group if anyone had experience seeing the kimono market here in the US – if they knew if people were interested and, if so, how much interested in terms of cost.
One person immediately sent me a message to let me know that – no, she didn’t seem to have any knowledge to offer – she, herself, was interested in buying one or two of my kimono.
Not quite was I was aiming to find, but okay. I accepted fate’s offer.
She came by the house this evening to see the ones I had already set aside as ones I didn’t need to keep anymore. She ended up picking out two kimono, plus an obi (the belt sash) and a haori (the short wintertime jacket that goes on top of kimono). I still haven’t taken a photo of all my kimono together, so we agreed that I would aim to do my photo this weekend, weather willing, and then she could come get them next week and pay me then.
Now, the amount she is paying is quite fair for me. And they are truly kimono that I was not at all going to use for myself.
And yet… I am sad to know that they are going away, that they won’t be mine any longer and that I will not see them anymore. Even if they are slightly ugly colors (both for my complexion and objectively so)… I feel a sense of loss and sadness for that loss.
I really need to find out if I’m going to do a booth to dress people at the festival this year for photos. If so, it’s well worth keeping the rest. If not, then it will be time to let go of the excess. But I have a major sense of FOMO around not being able to do that booth, if I sell them instead.
Okay, determined. I must find the cost of the booth, then I will be able to see my next step clearly.
Thank you for bag clarity, brain.
Thank you, God, for this opportunity. Please, keep my husband safe and well. In your name, I pray. Amen.
So, as the ocean waves rise and fall, perhaps I am experiencing my rage finally start to crest. I can’t talk about certain aspects of all my work nonsense without bursting into flames of fury on the inside still, but all of it as a whole is much easier for me to handle now. Perhaps because I’ve been sharing about it with others, openly. I’m finding clearer and clearer ways to express what happened, and concisely, too. Plus, folks who care about me are getting to understand why I have been struggling so much. It has been helpful. And I haven’t been mean about it. There was the one lunchtime right after my meeting, when I was beyond furious, that I didn’t handle it all too kindly, but I am not upset about it, and none of my feelings or words then were actually false – they were fully true, just not tamed or organized into respectable phrasing yet. I accept the initial blunder with my fury expressing itself then. Now, I am on a whole new level of being able to communicate it all well and without nastiness. I am grateful for that, at least.
Perhaps, one day, I will be able to trust fully in God that the parties responsible will reap what they sowed this year and that I will find my place in the world of work.
God, help me to be fair and kind these next three weeks, please. Keep my husband safe, please. Help him to find ease and joy in his studies. Help us both to return to the fitness levels we truly want to have, please. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Today, on our way home from getting the chicken feed way out West, we stopped for a late lunch at In-N-Out. When we first entered the establishment, we were somewhat surprised to see a guy open carrying a large handgun. He was been wearing an untucked t-shirt that was plenty long to have been able to cover the firearm, but he had it tucked behind the weapon. Clearly, his open carry was quite intentional. Oddly enough, it didn’t actually freak me out too much. Frankly, he looked the part of a Mexican cowboy type, so the slightly flashy gun with quite pretty design all along it fit with him. I know – weird.
Nonetheless, as I was processing this while we settled into the line, my husband suddenly says that his brother and sister-in-law are here. I look where he is looking and see that he is right(!). We rarely see them as it is, let alone while out somewhere that isn’t near either of our houses.
I nod, and my husband goes to greet them. They haven’t noticed us yet. They are just setting cups etc. onto a table – no food yet, as they’ve clearly just order and gotten their fountain drinks and are just sitting down – when my husband oh-so-smoothly slips behind his brother and slides into the open booth seat… of the table they clearly were using and at which they were about to sit down. He said something like, ‘Is this table open now?’ as he did so. His brother, not at all having recognized the voice, turns slowly, a look of both shock and utter outrage carved deeply into his face, his entire head (he’s bald on top) turning a literal red of rage.
I swear, my eyes must have bulged as I considered shouting out to distract him before he nailed my husband with a punch. It was very clear that a punch was about to occur – I had never seen this man so mad. The sister-in-law suddenly jolts with a visual double-take and says something. The brother blinks hard and pulls his head back in a new sort of shock, an instant release happening, the blood dropping from his face, top to bottom. They recognize him. Phew(!).
Then, of course, they both start cracking up, thoroughly enjoying both the joke and how good my husband had gotten them both. I was almost crying over in the line, I started laughing so hard. I’m not sure something like that could have gone any better than it did. It was perfect on all levels and made for a wonderful start to our lunch together with them and their son (who, by the way, was already sitting at the table, but apparently wasn’t paying attention at all, so hadn’t even realized that someone other than his dad had just sat across from him at first).
Thank you, God, for such love and fun today! Amen.
My grandma’s place had a mothers’ day fashion show today for the residents. Any female who wanted could sign up to participate. She would have her hair and makeup done, select whatever florals-genre clothing of her own to wear, and would participate is a fashion show in the lobby’s long walkway lounge area. (It really was a fitting location for their “catwalk”.)
And we found out yesterday that my grandma had not only signed herself up for the event, but she also convinced her friend to sign up with her. So, of course, my mom and I were in attendance.
But my grandma didn’t know we were attending.
The first lady out waked with her two grandchildren(?) or great-grandchildren. After them came my grandma and her friend. They were both sitting in their walker wheelchair things, being pushed by a daughter and granddaughter of the friend, side-by-side. They were all fancied up, and they couldn’t stop smiling and laughing as they went down the catwalk and back together. My grandma was especially shocked and happy when she saw me right as they came out, but she showed no problem with being the room’s focus for their two minutes. She was clearly having a great time. She even gave a genuine point-and-smile at someone in the audience as they went. It was ridiculously adorable and fun.
The whole thing was great, and so many personalities shone in so many wonderful ways. I’m so glad the place did it. My grandma and her friend both were so chatty afterward about how fun it had been, comparing it to ‘that one time when I was five years old and my mother signed me up for a fashion show at the mall,’ and when my grandma had, apparently – though, I am now doubting the validity of her begrudgingness (whatever the word is supposed to be) each time – been dragged into doing a whole slew of fashion shows for something as an already-grandmother a few decades back. It was just so lovey to see how alive they both and all the other ladies were. It was great.
Thank you, God, for this blessing. Help these women to be well and in your hands always. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Well, I guess the mattes aren’t a huge priority for me right now. It was a big deal to get them all cut tot he right size. But, now that that is done, I seem not to be too worried about the next step. For one, I’ll have to pick for sure which ones to frame. For another, if I need to do any more cutting, I know I can go do it with permission and ease. So, no longer worried about missing out on that chance, as I originally was, before going.
All that to say that I didn’t do them tonight. I didn’t get home until rather late for me. But I had a great time visiting my grandmother with my mom and husband. I also got to share with her about the recent miscarriage, and about the good news that my levels are all good to proceed forward again. She was really sweet and easy about it. She was sad, but glad to hear the blood test cleared me for safe progression this past weekend. She said that, “Back in my day,” she had two miscarriages, and they really must just be a natural and normal thing. I had worried she might take it too hard. Her easy way of saying this, and so quickly after hearing, made it clear that she was truly okay about it all. She agree that it is only natural for us to try again and again to procreate. I commented that it wasn’t like we would be upset at the prospect, and she made some cute comments about not being too excited or rambunctious while at it, because “we don’t need triplets or twins running around here,” and ‘that’s what happens if you’re too rambunctious during the process.’
We were cracking up. It was truly a lovely and fun time with her. I am very grateful.
Thank you, God. Help my grandma to be healthy and well, please. Help us to spend good time with her. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Okay, so, I didn’t do the mattes this evening. I worked on my resume and cover letter for a job application. However, I will get to them tomorrow!
Nonetheless, I digress…
I kid you not, tonight, I stood up to bring my dinner plate and flatware to the sink to rinse them, after I’d finished eating. Somehow, the knife was not properly balanced on the plate – to be clear, this never happens for me, as I am always meticulously careful about such a thing as dirty dishes and things that could make a mess – and, as I stood, it flipped backward, toward me, flung barbecue sauce through the air onto my husband’s leg, and then stabbed my thigh before it fell fully to the ground.
No, it didn’t imbed itself into my leg or anything. But it 100% stabbed me enough to slit the skin, make it burn immediately, and then bleed after a few seconds. I now have a small fish-hook-shaped little red scar on my left thigh. And, yes, it still hurts to the touch. Hopefully, the cleaning and sanitizing I did of it, followed by a shower, actually worked and helped it to seal up while still clean.
Ridiculous, I know.
Anyway, goodnight, folks!
Thank you, God, for keeping me safe. In your name, I pray. Amen.
I edited (somewhat poorly, at first, anyway) and then made some mattes for displaying paintings and other artwork in our home today. After I got home, I realized how I would have been able to make the edited ones much better… which was slightly annoying to discover after the fact (haha), but which might prove useful still.
My notecard for making the mattes – it was quite fun, once I’d gotten the hang of the cutter!
I still have to order some archival tape to put them into the frames, anyway, so I can check tomorrow after school about how the mattes actually fit and if I can do the better way of editing on the poorly done ones still. I also potentially can just put an exacto knife to them. So, I can try that tomorrow, too. That might be perfectly successful, giving me no need to bring them back to school. But we shall see. 😛
I’m glad I did them and I feel a great sense of accomplishment at having done them all, and on my own.
Thank you, God, for this successfully completed task and its associated positive brain chemicals. Thank you. Amen.
hannah ananas 