long over due

las princessas le tigre y le tootsie

CrazyMeanLandlord, the Musical!

A wise man once said that the Most High has the power to add through subtraction.

Current circumstances will test that principle at it's limits.

Crazy Mean Landlord has finally pulled her last stunt with us.
Last week, she entered our home without warning and without announcing herself, catching Simon and I in a rare romantic situation. We were shocked and alarmed when we heard footsteps just outside our open bedroom door. For a moment we thought we were being burglarized. But at ten in the morning, we realized that our unwelcome "visitor" was probably someone we knew, most likely, my sister, just dropping by to see the girls.

So we began yelling warnings and commands to leave and give us a moment to collect ourselves. To no avail, not only did the footsteps get closer, but more joined them. Then, even as we were shouting, "Please Leave Our House!" murmurs of male voices became discernible, and the whole party made its way into the living room.
We were stunned! How could this be happening? A whole group of unwelcome people parading through our home, even as we protest their presence---unthinkable!
Then we reminded ourselves of the character of the person who was now leading this major violation of our privacy. This type of trespass is exactly the type of thing that makes her tick.

So, long story short: following a confrontation, where she gave a group of maintanence men full authorization to enter my home whenever they choose, I indicted her for violating our privacy. She informed me, with an evil laugh, that She would not be re-newing our lease. "You're outta here! You ARE OUTTA HERE!" she cackled.

So we have 30 days to find a new home.

We are taking all of this in stride. We are not surprised by this end to our living situation, although we do resent the callousness of the minimal time she has allowed us to vacate.

We started looking on craigslist immediately for a new place to live. We responded to two ads that seemed great, only to find out later that they were common scams.

Undeterred, we are resolved to come through all of this better than we are today.
We have an appointment to look at a house this afternoon.
It is just down the street and in the same neighborhood. The landlord there seems nice, so things are looking up already.

Simon has been writing songs about the whole ordeal. Maybe we'll stage a production of our experiences as part of our house warming festivites next month.

specialist 2, quality assurance.

so today saw the completion of a loop that has been progressing for sometime now.
this morning, i was called in to interview for a new opportunity with my target employer.
when i arrived, the sweet human resources manager rushed out to meet me to let me know that i should find out as much about the position as possible during my chat with the hiring manager, because, if i chose to accept the assignment, they want me to start tomorrow.

whoa.
okay.
tomorrow.


wow.

it feels like i have been waiting years for this. maybe because i HAVE been waiting years for this.

and now after all this time, tomorrow, i will officially begin my career.


i am very excited. and a bit overwhelmed.

i'm going to go enjoy my time with the girls just now. i know i will be missing them tomorrow.

looking to the stars

f
from josephinewall.co.uk

catch a tiger

this little clip is so precious i had to share it.
the sound of their laughter is just priceless.

as the name of this post indicates, tootsie is the pursuer.
enjoy!

happy birthday emma!

celebrating 3 years on the 4th, a brilliant little one, my baby sister Emma.

in honor of the little princess, here are some highlights:

first birthday cake


am i doing this right?


Nadia says, "Here, let Papa show you."


Mama's demonstration backfires.


Let us eat cake!


Now, a little princess.


lots of love, from sissy

progress thru effortless effort

buzzed around in the shop today.
went about doing things the best way i know.

lots of cross offs on the old list today.
i hope the team is pleased with the effort.
i am.

dinner: it seems this is becoming a regular feature of this blog so here goes,

miso mixed field greens with raspberries, red onion & humboldt chevre
baked brie & wasabi rice crackers
spicy peas and sausage cornbread
raspberry ginger beer (non-alcoholic)

it seems a bit blah to report eating left overs, so i will try not to do that again.
the brie from last night was worth mentioning, though. it was still a treat tonight.

yesterday i also prepared brunch-feast for visiting family:
Sour dough French Toast with fresh blueberries and vanilla yougurt
complete with organic powdered sugar and maple syrup.

I've kept up with filing job apps and i have another phone interview on monday.
more on that as it develops.

girlbears are getting so big. little teeth, wispy hair, so many funny expressions.
spent so many hours away from them today.
they seem to have changed dramatically while i was gone.
almost one year old...

i could lose myself in contemplating the vastness of time, but sleep beckons.
and i am so happy to surrender.

one